Camera Problems

A camera image looks black-and-white

This is almost always normal. Many cameras switch to black-and-white (night/infrared mode) in low light to see better in the dark, and switch back to color during the day. No action needed.

A camera is dirty or blurry

Outside cameras — especially ones facing the road or mounted low — can get dirty quickly. A gentle wipe of the lens with a soft, damp cloth often clears it up.

A camera is black, flickering, "no signal," or missing from the view

The symptoms look different — a camera that's gone fully black, one that flickers or cuts in and out, or one that's dropped off the screen — but the first checks are the same.

First, a few easy checks: 1. Make sure the vehicle is on and the system has fully started up (give it a minute or two). 2. Note which camera it is (e.g. "camera 3" or "the rear camera") and whether it's been a problem before. 3. Check the recorder's status lights. A flashing blue "camera" light confirms one of the cameras isn't being received. See What the status lights mean.

A couple of simple things you can try

These are safe and don't require any tools: 1. If you can easily reach the back of the recorder, gently make sure each camera plug is pushed in fully and snug. Don't pull on the wires or unplug anything — just check they're seated. 2. If you can reach the back of the camera itself, do the same with its connector. 3. Start the vehicle again and watch the lights: if the blue "camera" light stops flashing, the connection was the problem and you're good.

Please don't unplug cables, pull on wiring, or open a locked recorder. If the easy checks above don't fix it, it's usually that camera or its cable — a quick repair or swap for a technician. Just let us know which camera.

If only one camera is affected and the rest are fine, it's almost always that camera or its cable.

Want to take it a step further? If you have hands-on staff or a mechanic comfortable working around the recorder, our In-depth camera troubleshooting walks through how to pin down whether it's the camera or the recorder before ordering a part.

When you're ready to report it, see Before you call us.