Ford's 2001 model year Windstar van with side air bags topped a group of crash tests released April 13 by the U.S. government. The Windstar received the top five-star rating for both frontal and side impacts, beating out nearly 30 vehicles ranging from other vans to light trucks and sedans, in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests. Close behind were the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute, small sport utility vehicles that share many components, with five stars except for a passenger-side, frontal-crash rating of four stars. NHTSA also issued rollover ratings for many of the vehicles. Sedans, having a lower center of gravity, took top honors while sport utility vehicles (SUVs), light trucks and vans that sit higher off the road got fewer stars. The Windstar received four stars for rollover propensity, which was better than the three stars awarded to two General Motors (GM) vans, the Oldsmobile Silhouette and Chevrolet Venture. The Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute compact SUVs got three-star rollover ratings, while two rollover stars went to Ford's Ranger four-wheel drive extended cab pickup truck and Mazda's similar B-series truck and to the Toyota Tacoma pickup of the same configuration. Rollovers have a higher fatality rate than other kinds of crashes, according to NHTSA. The agency uses a calculation based on the vehicles' dimensions to arrive at its ratings but Congress, auto manufacturers and some consumer groups want a dynamic test added that takes into account real-world driving conditions. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently praised new car designs for better crash test performance. Details of the NHTSA ratings can be found at www.nhtsa.dot.gov.