Ford has announced that it will recall 144,000 F-150 pickup trucks from the 2005 and 2006 model years for an issue in which the airbag may deploy without cause.

In November 2010, the company was made aware of the issue in a memo from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA requested that Ford look into the issue after it received 238 separate complaints that resulted in 77 injuries.

The government agency recommended that Ford recall all 1.3 million trucks manufactured between 2004 and 2006. However, Ford has limited the recall to a subset of that. According to the company, all of the incidents could be traced to a specific shift at the plant in Norfolk, Virginia. The automaker believes that an airbag wire may have been installed incorrectly, making it liable for a short circuit.

When the vehicle is turned on, it can cause the wire to accidentally trigger the airbag. That means that most of the cases occurred in driveways while the car was stopped, although the NHTSA claims that a few were on public roadways.

The NHTSA has said it will investigate the matter and determine if the limited recall will adequately address the issue.

Drivers interested in a used Ford F-150 may want to avoid the 2005 and 2006 model years for the time being, but they'll be able to find a wide range of other pickup trucks at New Jersey State Auto Auction.