Ford F-150 Lightning raises prices for the fourth time

Ford announced Thursday that it is once again accepting orders from reservation holders for the 2023 F-150 Lightning following a February production halt due to battery problems.

A small recall announced in early March revealed the problem to be a manufacturing defect in the battery cells.

Ford was able to fix the problem and resume production at its Rouge electric truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan, on March 13. This week, production returned to full capacity and trucks are being shipped to customers, Ford said.

Ford plans to continue to increase production and has set a goal of reaching an annual capacity utilization rate of 150,000 vehicles by the fall.

Production bottlenecks have only allowed Ford to deliver 15,617 trucks in 2022, but 200,000 had been reserved when the company stopped taking new reservations at the end of 2021. Ford has not indicated when it plans to resume taking reservations.

Ford also announced Thursday that it will raise the price of its entry-level F-150 Lightning Pro from $57,869 to $61,869. This figure includes a $1,895 destination.

The F-150 Lightning Pro is a version designed for commercial use, and Ford currently offers it only to commercial customers. According to the company, the F-150 Lightning Pro is currently sold out for retail customers.

The price increase is the fourth for the electric truck since its launch nearly a year ago; when it went on sale in April 2022, it was priced at just $41,669.

Other popular trims will also see price increases: the standard 2023 F-150 Lightning Ralliart is up $1,500 to $77,869, including destination. The top-of-the-line Platinum trim, which comes standard with the Extended Range Battery Pack, is up $1,200 to $99,969.