P. M. BRIEFING : Ford Seat Belt Probe Stepped Up

DETROIT —  The National Highway Traffic Safety Agency said today it has upgraded an investigation into allegedly defective automatic safety belts in more than 1 million Ford Escort and Lynx subcompact cars from the 1987-89 model years.

The government safety agency, which has the authority to order a manufacturer to recall vehicles if a safety defect is determined, said it is aware of 316 owner complaints, including 76 injuries and 5 fatalities.

Ford Motor Co. spokeswoman Linda Becker said the No. 2 auto maker is cooperating fully with NHTSA in the investigation and has supplied the agency with 228 reports of alleged malfunctions.

Escort and Lynx cars have a motorized shoulder belt that fastens automatically. A lap belt must be manually fastened.