NHTSA steps up probe into problem-plagued Ford car

DETROIT, Aug 24 (Reuters) - U.S. safety regulators have stepped up a probe into faulty door latches on 261,000 of Ford Motor Co.'s problem-plagued Focus cars from the 2000 model year, the government said on Tuesday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said a preliminary evaluation of the problem had been escalated to the status of an "engineering analysis," a move that often precedes a ...