Federal regulators will expand a side-impact crash testing programme to provide consumers with more information about how well new cars and trucks prevent head injuries, the Detroit News reported.

The revisions are likely to challenge vehicle makers, who regularly adopt engineering changes to cars and light trucks to score well on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s test, the paper said, noting that a high score is often used by manufacturers to market particular cars and models.

According to the Detroit News, the NHTSA said it would review its star-rating system to better reflect a vehicle’s performance in preventing head injuries.

The move comes after NHTSA discovered troubling or unusual circumstances in recent safety tests involving several models, the paper said.

In its final ratings for the 2002 model year, the agency said results from side-impact tests on the Suzuki Grand Vitara and Mitsubishi Montero Sport [Challenger] SUVs suggest an increased likelihood of serious head injury for passengers in the rear seats, the Detroit News said.

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Under NHTSA’s current ratings, the Grand Vitara and Montero Sport got a top rating of five stars, the paper noted.

Mitsubishi Motors told the Detroit News it was “discouraged” about NHTSA’s finding, adding that the vehicle meets all federal safety standards and noting that the test dummy used by NHTSA has not been validated for measuring head injury in a side-impact test.

Suzuki had no immediate comment, the paper added.

According to the Detroit News, side-impact crash protection has become a priority for safety regulators because of an increase in crashes involving SUVs and cars.

The paper said side-impact star ratings are based on the amount of damage to crash test dummies in the driver’s seat and the rear passenger side seat when a vehicle is rammed by a sled travelling at 38.5 mph. NHTSA has issued the side-impact ratings since 1997.

NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson told the Detroit News that the agency was publishing head injury information for the first time because safety experts now have a high degree of confidence about the new dummy’s reliability for measuring head injury.

NHTSA is also overhauling its side-impact safety standard, which every vehicle must pass before being offered for sale in the United States, the paper added.