Probe of the Ford F-150 is expanded to cover 2.7 million vehicles

U.S. safety regulators have expanded to 2.7 million vehicles an investigation into faulty fuel-tank straps on Ford F-150 pickups.

Officials are looking into whether the straps that hold the fuel tanks can rust and break on F-150s from the 1997-2001 model years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said two fires resulted from the problem over the weekend. One report from Ford said a vehicle caught on fire from a leaking fuel tank, and safety officials said they received another complaint of a fire that went out before causing major damage.

There have been 306 complaints about the issue--175 filed with NHTSA and 156 with Ford.

"Among the incidents reported to NHTSA or Ford, 243 involved the fuel tank dropping below the vehicle and/or dragging on the ground, 95 involved fuel leakage, and nine included reports of sparks from the tank being dragged on the road," the NHTSA filing said.

The probe was opened in September after 32 consumer complaints, when an estimated 1.4 million F-150 pickups were thought to have faulty straps.

By null