(Reuters) -The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expanding its probe into 286,000 GM vehicles in the U.S. over a possible engine failure issue, the safety regulator said on Monday.

The NHTSA said the issue stems from engine bearing failures in GM's L87 6.2-litre engine installed in models such as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Cadillac Escalade.

The regulator opened a preliminary investigation into the issues in January, which had led to a recall.

The NHTSA on Monday upgraded the probe to an engineering analysis, citing continued reports of engine failures.

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and Shinjini Ganguli)