Ford is once again taking orders from reservation holders for the 2023 F-150 Lightning following February’s production halt due to a battery issue, the automaker said on Thursday.
A small recall announced in early March revealed the issue as a battery cell manufacturing defect.
Ford was able to solve the issue and resume production at the electric truck’s Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan, on March 13. Production returned to full capacity this week and trucks are being shipped to customers, Ford said.
Ford plans to continue ramping up production and has a goal of reaching a 150,000-unit annual run rate by the fall.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning
Due to production bottlenecks, Ford only managed to deliver 15,617 of the trucks in 2022, but it had 200,000 reservations at the end of 2021 when it stopped taking new reservations. Ford hasn’t said when it plans to reopen the reservation process.
Ford also said on Thursday it is increasing the price of the entry-level F-150 Lightning Pro, from $57,869 to $61,869. Those figures include an $1,895 destination.
The F-150 Lightning Pro is the version designed for commercial use, and at present Ford is only offering it to commercial customers. The automaker said the F-150 Lightning Pro is currently sold out for retail customers.
The latest price hike is the fourth for the electric truck since its launch nearly a year ago. It cost just $41,669 when it was launched in April 2022.
Other popular trims also get price hikes. The 2023 F-150 Lightning Lariat standard range increases $1,500 to $77,869, including destination. The top Platinum trim with the standard extended-range battery pack increases $1,200 to $99,969.
