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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is probing the design of so-called recreational off-highway vehicles after reports of fatal accidents involving the new, unregulated products.

The investigation covers a "handful" of brands and "more than 30 fatalities," said a spokeswoman, Julie Vallese, without elaborating. The Wall Street Journal said Yamaha Motor Co.'s Rhino was a focus of the inquiry, with at least 30 deaths.

Yamaha is aware of the review, said Roy Watson, general manager of legal affairs for the U.S. unit of the Iwata, Japan- based company. He declined to confirm the Journal's fatality tally, which the newspaper said was an estimate using safety agency methods.

The probe spotlights gaps in oversight of the vehicles, which have been produced for about five years. Used by off-road enthusiasts and hunters, the models are larger than all-terrain vehicles and have two side-by-side seats, a steering wheel and protective roll cage.

Features such as the protective cage place the vehicles outside current rules for conventional ATVs, Vallese said. The inquiry began several months ago after the agency "identified that there seemed to be an increase of deaths," she said.

"It could end up being a potential issue for the whole category if the safety issue ends up becoming a stigma," said Ed Aaron, a Denver-based analyst at RBC Capital Markets who covers recreational-vehicle makers including Polaris Industries Inc.

Models similar to the Rhino include Polaris' Razor, Honda Motor Co.'s Big Red, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Mule and Arctic Cat Inc.'s Prowler.

"Yamaha has had several meetings with the CPSC over the past two years to share information about the Rhino, new product developments and safety features, and Yamaha's efforts to promote safe and responsible use of the vehicles," Watson said. "The Rhino is one of the safest, most-reliable" vehicles in the category, he said.

The Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association, an Irvine, California-based trade group backed by Yamaha, Honda, Polaris, Kawasaki and Arctic Cat, is developing proposed safety standards that could be ready by early 2009, Vice President Tom Yager said.