Problems with backup camera

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Texas FFE

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 3, 2016
Messages
117
This morning, when I drove my 2017 FFE, the backup camera picture was all jumble up. I had the car on the charger all night long and it was just about freezing temperatures when I got in the car. After I turned the car off and back on the picture came back but when I drove the again I had the same jumbled up picture problem.

If this continues I’m going to have to take the car to the dealer to get the backup camera sorted out. Anyone ever see a problem with the backup camera like this?
 
Not on an FFE, but my '16 Mazda3 started doing that at some point. After a couple firmware updates they ended up replacing the camera and it worked ever after (then I traded it up for a C-Max, but that's unrelated).
 
Think I saw upside down once.

Yours might be a loose connection? That it happened several times, probably more than just a goofy software stuff just happens problem.
 
The problem is gone for now. We had a lot of rain that week. Maybe some water got into the camera or one of the connectors. No sense in taking the car in, they can’t fix something that’s not broke.
 
I had an issue once, but it was after I put the car in a diagnostic mode via the buttons on the steering wheel. I forget exactly what it was or how I got into it, but it was a test mode for checking switches and the LCD screen. Anyway, I figured I didn't exit properly which messed it up, so I went back into the mode, exited, and everything went back to normal.

Not sure the diagnostic mode would help with the problem if the only issue is with the backup camera. However, it seems to me it might be a connection issue as was mentioned...loose connection or water penetration.

I have had some odd issues that seem to be fixed with a power cycle...i.e. pull the fuse or the 12V battery. My car's cruise control has gotten into a weird state on 2 occasions. The controls didn't quite work as expected and I would eventually get a yellow wrench on the display. The first time it went away on its own but came back a few months later. I decided to disconnect the 12V battery momentarily and that solved the problem a year or 2 ago and I haven't seen it since. I've had the radio stay on after turning off the car on 2 occasions and pulling the fuse for a second or 2 solves that problem.

A lot of the cars components are connected via CAN bus so it doesn't surprise me too much when a module stops responding. But that's now in my arsenal for FFE debug....cycle the 12V power before taking it to the dealer. I also have my Forscan software and OBDII module now too.
 
The problem came back intermittently so I took the car into the dealer. They said they wanted to replace the camera housing but they had order the part. I will post what actual parts were replaced and if this fixes the problem once I get the car back.
 
Sort of unrelated, but.... On the 2018 escape loaner that I have, the camera is such wide angle that I can read my license plate. Ive never seen that before.
 
I just got my car back from the dealer. According to the ticket the dealer replaced the backup camera and the camera housing. The camera on my 2017 FFE seems to be working fine for now but I’ll provide a post if I have any more.

As a side note, my service writer asked me twice if I wanted to get my oil change while my car was in the shop. I think it was just a conditioned reflex for him since he probably asked the same thing of all his customers. The first time I wasn’t surprised but I was surprised he asked me the same thing the second time.
 
Texas FFE said:
As a side note, my service writer asked me twice if I wanted to get my oil change while my car was in the shop. I think it was just a conditioned reflex for him since he probably asked the same thing of all his customers. The first time I wasn’t surprised but I was surprised he asked me the same thing the second time.

I would have said "YES" to see what he did!!! :roll:
 
Texas FFE said:
... my service writer asked me twice if I wanted to get my oil change while my car was in the shop.
The second time you should have nonchalantly agreed to the oil change to see how long it would take him to figure it out. :lol:
 
Did replacing the camera fix the intermittent problem? My 2014 Focus Electric just started doing the same thing.... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (I get the "camera not available" message), and sometimes the camera even stays on after I've shifted into Drive. I've tried disconnecting the battery, updating Sync (as of 9/24/19), and removing/unplugging the camera to look for a loose connection. A new camera costs $300 and I'm not convinced that the camera itself is actually the problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

thanks.
 
As a follow-up to my last post concerning my faulty rearview camera in my 2014 FFE, after checking everything else, I decided to purchase a new OEM rearview camera. I'm happy to report that it fixed the problem! The camera cost ~$300 through parts.ford.com. Be sure to enter your VIN # when you order the part to be certain that you are getting the correct replacement camera. It was fairly easy to replace, so you can save a significant amount of money doing it yourself.
 
You could check with your dealer, but I think the camera was designed to fail at 3 years/36,000 miles:-(
 
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