diff --git a/includes/common.inc b/includes/common.inc
index 4ec37dc44410264ed2d114ccd1e7a7ff8f5eee2d..8575844e5c070669f4ecac5a34660a449924ec41 100644
--- a/includes/common.inc
+++ b/includes/common.inc
@@ -753,7 +753,8 @@ function drupal_access_denied() {
  *     received.
  *   - redirect_code: If redirected, an integer containing the initial response
  *     status code.
- *   - redirect_url: If redirected, a string containing the redirection location.
+ *   - redirect_url: If redirected, a string containing the URL of the redirect
+ *     target.
  *   - error: If an error occurred, the error message. Otherwise not set.
  *   - headers: An array containing the response headers as name/value pairs.
  *     HTTP header names are case-insensitive (RFC 2616, section 4.2), so for
@@ -1009,7 +1010,9 @@ function drupal_http_request($url, array $options = array()) {
         $result = drupal_http_request($location, $options);
         $result->redirect_code = $code;
       }
-      $result->redirect_url = $location;
+      if (!isset($result->redirect_url)) {
+        $result->redirect_url = $location;
+      }
       break;
     default:
       $result->error = $status_message;
diff --git a/modules/simpletest/tests/common.test b/modules/simpletest/tests/common.test
index 6cee722b98bcff681a3ccee85252273c9a415182..e50ba5e256864df21d201814fe9949a5254c92c7 100644
--- a/modules/simpletest/tests/common.test
+++ b/modules/simpletest/tests/common.test
@@ -1000,6 +1000,13 @@ class DrupalHTTPRequestTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
 
     $redirect_307 = drupal_http_request(url('system-test/redirect/307', array('absolute' => TRUE)), array('max_redirects' => 0));
     $this->assertFalse(isset($redirect_307->redirect_code), t('drupal_http_request does not follow 307 redirect if max_redirects = 0.'));
+
+    $multiple_redirect_final_url = url('system-test/multiple-redirects/0', array('absolute' => TRUE));
+    $multiple_redirect_1 = drupal_http_request(url('system-test/multiple-redirects/1', array('absolute' => TRUE)), array('max_redirects' => 1));
+    $this->assertEqual($multiple_redirect_1->redirect_url, $multiple_redirect_final_url, t('redirect_url contains the final redirection location after 1 redirect.'));
+
+    $multiple_redirect_3 = drupal_http_request(url('system-test/multiple-redirects/3', array('absolute' => TRUE)), array('max_redirects' => 3));
+    $this->assertEqual($multiple_redirect_3->redirect_url, $multiple_redirect_final_url, t('redirect_url contains the final redirection location after 3 redirects.'));
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/modules/simpletest/tests/system_test.module b/modules/simpletest/tests/system_test.module
index fc4eff935196886167a7c5a52adfe1644b2ebcb3..737276494872a721177848341ca2586c289c44cd 100644
--- a/modules/simpletest/tests/system_test.module
+++ b/modules/simpletest/tests/system_test.module
@@ -28,6 +28,13 @@ function system_test_menu() {
     'access arguments' => array('access content'),
     'type' => MENU_CALLBACK,
   );
+  $items['system-test/multiple-redirects/%'] = array(
+    'title' => 'Redirect',
+    'page callback' => 'system_test_multiple_redirects',
+    'page arguments' => array(2),
+    'access arguments' => array('access content'),
+    'type' => MENU_CALLBACK,
+  );
   $items['system-test/set-header'] = array(
     'page callback' => 'system_test_set_header',
     'access arguments' => array('access content'),
@@ -122,6 +129,30 @@ function system_test_redirect($code) {
   return '';
 }
 
+/**
+ * Menu callback; sends a redirect header to itself until $count argument is 0.
+ *
+ * Emulates the variable number of redirects (given by initial $count argument)
+ * to the final destination URL by continuous sending of 301 HTTP redirect
+ * headers to itself together with decrementing the $count parameter until the
+ * $count parameter reaches 0. After that it returns an empty string to render
+ * the final destination page.
+ *
+ * @param $count
+ *   The count of redirects left until the final destination page.
+ *
+ * @returns
+ *   The location redirect if the $count > 0, otherwise an empty string.
+ */
+function system_test_multiple_redirects($count) {
+  $count = (int) $count;
+  if ($count > 0) {
+    header("location: " . url('system-test/multiple-redirects/' . --$count, array('absolute' => TRUE)), TRUE, 301);
+    exit;
+  }
+  return '';
+}
+
 function system_test_set_header() {
   drupal_add_http_header($_GET['name'], $_GET['value']);
   return t('The following header was set: %name: %value', array('%name' => $_GET['name'], '%value' => $_GET['value']));