NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The federal government is again looking at why the Honda CR-V compact sport/utility vehicle sometimes catches fire after an initial oil change, according to a published report.

Federal safety regulators are again looking at problems with fires in the 2004 and 2005 Honda CR-V following oil changes.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reopened and expanded an investigation of fires involving the 2003 and 2004 models that it closed more than two months ago.

It said at the time of the initial probe that the fires were most likely caused by faulty work by the people changing the oil, which had been Honda's position. But the newspaper said the new inquiry puts the focus back on the manufacturer.

The newspaper said the new probe is an "engineering analysis," the most serious level of inquiry conducted by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Such investigations lead to vehicle recalls roughly 60 to 80 percent of the time, an agency spokesman told the newspaper.

Honda had been notifying dealers and service technicians about ways to avoid the fire problem. But reports of new fires draw "into question the effectiveness of the service communication," NHTSA said in the official notice of investigation.

A Honda spokesman told the newspaper the company would cooperate with NHTSA and is continuing to conduct its own probe.

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The company said the problem seems to be caused by a rubber gasket from the factory-installed oil filter sticking to the engine block during an initial oil change.

When the new filter is installed over it, it fails to seal well, and oil leaks. The oil then sprays onto the CR-V's hot manifold and ignites, said the company.