KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Federal investigators have started a second probe of another Firestone tire brand used on some Ford and GM sport utility vehicles. They say the problem is the same as before, tire separation. We get the latest now on this unfolding investigation from CNN's Susan Candiotti. She's live from Nashville, Tennessee -- Susan.</s>SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra. This investigation was announced at the very end of the business day on Friday by the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration and took everyone involved by surprise, Firestone, Ford, and GM. NHTSA is taking a look at the following tires, Firestone's Steeltex 15, 16, and 16.5 inch brand, original equipment found on Ford Excursions, Chevrolet Suburbans, Chevrolet Express Van, and the Chevy C-Savana Van. Now, this was prompted after 169 complaints were filed with the federal agency, complaints including two deaths and 12 injuries that could possibly be linked to these tires. All but two of those 169 complaints were filed since the August recall of Firestone's ATX, ATX- II, and Wilderness AT tires. And Firestone says the timing is significant.</s>CHRISTINE KARBOWIAK, BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE: What I'm saying is, I think that there is a lot of scrutiny being paid to tires in general. There have been a number of issues with respect to other brands of tires as well. So I think that consumers are becoming much more aware of their tires and perhaps much more aware of NHTSA's role in automotive safety in general.</s>CANDIOTTI: Firestone, Ford, and General Motors are promising full cooperation with federal investigators, and Firestone is going to be spending the next several days here at headquarters researching how many of those Steeltex tires are on the road. They are also checking their records to find out how many complaints the company has received about them. Susan Candiotti, CNN, reporting live in Nashville.
Firestone Probe Expands to Other Tire Models