Use this article if…
- Your camera shows no IR, no wake and it's dead at the bumper: check power and ground first, not decoder menus.
- Power's fine but you get no picture → Black / wrong picture. MK4 → MK4 cameras.
Problem
- Your camera looks dead: no IR, no wake, no response.
Symptoms
- You see no washer/LED activity on the camera body in low light.
- Your headunit reports signal sometimes, but the camera never wakes.
- You've recently fitted accessories on the same loom.
Cause
- Open fuse or an adapter pin that gives you no current under load.
- Wrong power wire: the tail (park) lamp wire or a headunit output instead of the reversing light wire at the back.
- Corrosion in the joiner behind the bumper.
- Wrong pin assumed when you wired into the integrated harness.
Fix Step-by-step
- Measure the camera power connector at the device under an appropriate load test, not just idle voltage.
- Confirm the ground return is dedicated, not only through composite tailgate paths.
- Replace any suspect fuse holders, then use waterproof sealed joints for 4WD use.
- If power is stable and you still get no video, go back to format and input troubleshooting.
Notes
Related: Reverse trigger wiring.
