Ford F150 Backup Camera Not Working – [Easy Troubleshooting]

Is your Ford F150 backup camera not working? Don’t worry! I will help you troubleshoot and fix this problem with a few simple steps.

The main reason can be a broken backup camera. This list includes blown fuse, SYNC system bug, misaligned shifter, faulty wiring harness, faulty connectors, and faulty factory components.

You can apply the following fixes for backup camera problems, such as the camera going black or blue or showing distorted images on your Ford F150.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

Please Note: This troubleshooting guide applies to any Ford F150 model with a backup camera.

Some common years with this problem are Ford F150 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

7 Reasons Why Ford F150 Backup Camera Not Working!

Here are the 7 possible reasons why the backup camera is not working on your truck, and the troubleshooting methods to fix it.

1. Blown Fuse

First thing you need to do is, check the corresponding fuse. If the backup camera fuse is short or blown out, you’ll have no feed from the camera. 

So, open up the hood and find the position of the camera fuse. You can get the fuse information from the owner’s manual.

You’ll need to look for any physical damage or burn, and you can test it with a test light. If the fuse is blown, you need to install a new one with the proper rating. 

Hopefully, it will fix the backup camera problem of your Ford F150.

2. SYNC System Bug

If the backup camera is not working intermittently, the SYNC system on your Ford F150 could be the reason. 

You can reset and update the SYNC system, which may solve your park assist camera problem. You’ll get more details in this post about the SYNC system.

3. Misaligned Shifter

When you put the gear lever in the reverse position, the backup lights should come on, and you should get feed from the backup camera.

But, if the shifter is misaligned, your vehicle may act up unexpectedly. To verify the misalignment, watch if your backup lights come on when you put the shifter in reverse.

If the backup lights don’t come on, you probably have a misaligned transmission shifter.

Now, this happens a lot on the Ford F150 and other F-series trucks with a column shifter lever. The thumbwheel is attached to the shifter arm and controls the gear position indicator.

A bracket holds and supports the thumbwheel to stay in position. And it can break at times, causing the misalignment of the gear indicator.

If the bracket is not broken, you can manually realign the shifter by rotating the thumbwheel to the accurate position where the gear lever is truly in. 

If you want to learn more about this misalignment, watch the above video.

Once you fix this, you may get your backup camera up and running again.

4. Faulty Wiring Harness

If the electrical wiring has faulty wires, you can face this backup camera issue on your Ford F150. This is especially true for trucks that experience intensive off-roading activities.

So, crawl under the truck, or lift it up, then inspect carefully for any damages in the wiring harnesses. You might find some damaged or even missing wires in the harness.

If you find anything faulty, you need to fix it to get back the feed from the backup camera.

5. Faulty Connector

If the backup camera on your Ford F150 is not working, there is a possibility that the connectors have some problem.

To verify, go ahead and disconnect both of them. One is in the tailgate, and another is near the spare tire.

Then, look for any physical damage, dirt, or build-up on the pins. Clean them properly, also spray some WD-40.

You can also use a small amount of dielectric grease between the connectors and reconnect them.

If you’re lucky, you’ll get back the feed from the backup camera.

6. Faulty Factory Camera

If you own a 2020 Ford F150, your backup camera might have defective components from the factory. 

In September 2020, Ford recalled 220,098 F150 models for the faulty backup camera.

Those models were built from October 26, 2019 to May 18, 2020 and from November 2, 2019 to May 18, 2020.

The NHTSA number for this recall is 20V-575; you can read more about it here.

7. Damaged Backup Camera

This is the last resort why your backup camera is not working. If nothing fixes the camera, then it might be the camera itself went wrong!

In this case, you need to get a replacement camera for your Ford F150. I have shared all the OEM part numbers for the backup camera you can find here.

Final Words

So there you have it. I have discussed all the possible reasons why your Ford F150 backup camera not working. Now you can follow the steps to troubleshoot, and hopefully, you’ll get it fixed.