WASHINGTON- U.S. auto safety regulators said Monday they were opening a probe into nearly 1.9 million Toyota RAV4 vehicles for fire risks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the preliminary evaluation into 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles comes after 11 reports of fires.

The agency said some drivers experienced stalling prior to the fire in half of the instances where the vehicle was in motion. The 12-volt battery was identified as the area of origin in a majority of incidents reviewed, the agency said. Toyota did not immediately comment.

(Reporting by David Shepardson, editing by Louise Heavens) ((David.Shepardson@thomsonreuters.com; 2028988324;))