2023 Ford F-150 Raptor Heated Steering Wheel Upgrade Kit Revealed

As most likely remember, it wasn’t too terribly long ago when new vehicle production was impacted in a major way by the COVID-19 pandemic. For years, automakers struggled to procure various parts as a result, and in the case of Ford, it wound up removing certain features from its vehicles to keep assembly lines moving. That included the heated steering wheel function in select models – such as the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor – but now, owners can purchase an upgrade from the automaker that restores this specific functionality.

The 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor heated steering wheel upgrade kit was just added to the Ford Performance catalog under part number M-3602-RAP, with a retail price of $325. It’s designed specifically to enable factory heated steering wheel functionality in 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor models that were impacted by the chip shortage, which resulted in that feature being deleted. It includes all of the OEM components needed to restore this feature, including the HVAC switch, steering column control module, and a new steering wheel bolt.

Production of the current-generation Ford F-150 got off to a rough start amid the pandemic in late 2020 into early 2021, with the chip shortage proving to be a massive thorn in automakers’ sides that lasted for years. The F-150 was hit hard by this shortage, and lost several options as a result – aside from heated steering wheels, that list also included things like Max Recline seats, Active Park Assist 2.0, and auto stop/start, to name just a few.

On top of those features, other models – such as the Ford Explorer – temporarily ditched options such as second-row climate controls, which were sold with a color-matched trim cover where those controls were typically located. Those vehicles were still built with heated second-row seating, but lacked the controls temporarily until they were installed at a later date. Impacted models also came with an updated window sticker showing a $100 credit for that removal.