Aug 2 (Reuters) - The National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration on Friday upgraded its investigation into nearly

1 million Stellantis' ( STLA ) Dodge brand vehicles to an engineering

analysis from a preliminary evaluation over faulty door locks

and windows.

The analysis involves certain Dodge Journey crossovers built

between 2009 and 2020.

Stellantis ( STLA ) did not immediately respond to a Reuters request

for a comment.

An engineering analysis is a mandatory requirement before

the auto safety regulator can potentially demand a recall.

The NHTSA said there were seven incidents of door and window

malfunction in the model, including one fatality.

"Inoperative door locks and windows may prevent vehicle

occupants from exiting the vehicle during an emergency," the

NHTSA said.

(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita

Bhattacharjee and Shinjini Ganguli)