backup camera - display intermittently showing diagonal gray/black stripes, with no camera image?

[808Pants]

As per title, my display occasionally shows me diagonal gray/black stripes, with no camera image, overlayed with what appears to be a standard warning along the lines of "don't rely exclusively on the backup camera..." (the irony of that isn't lost on me, even in those moments.) This has probably occurred ten times in the 1-1/2 years I've owned it, and it resumes the normal display during the next "backup cycle." Is this a known thing?

 

[Neil]

I haven't heard of this being a "known thing" (others chime in). It sounds like a random failure. Perhaps you can do an OBD scan to see if any error codes regarding this failure have been captured?

 

[alohart]

What happens to the backup camera display when the hatch isn't shut properly or its latch isn't functioning correctly?

 

[808Pants]

I haven't heard of this being a "known thing" (others chime in). It sounds like a random failure. Perhaps you can do an OBD scan to see if any error codes regarding this failure have been captured?

I'm now on another island, but will try scanning when I'm back with the i3. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[808Pants]

What happens to the backup camera display when the hatch isn't shut properly or its latch isn't functioning correctly?

Hey Art - I think you're suggesting I ensure the hatch is correctly latched on occasions when this happens, then? I don't see the logical connection between the two issues...but we all know it's not always sensible, is it?

Back story is that I'm eternally teaching wife to drive, and we both have keyfobs with us. Some odd issues occasionally come up that I hope might result from them 'competing' to impose their differing profiles. One that's recurred on rare occasions for many months is finding that I have to manually turn off the dome light when driving away from being parked. In a similar vein, the cargo-area light stays on forever (I think, never waited quite that long) when garaged and with hatch intentionally wide open...is that expected behavior?

 

[alohart]

Hey Art - I think you're suggesting I ensure the hatch is correctly latched on occasions when this happens, then? I don't see the logical connection between the two issues...but we all know it's not always sensible, is it?

I believe I recall reading that the hatch not being fully closed or its latch not functioning correctly causes the backup camera display to be interrupted in some way. What I don't know is whether the interruption is what you're describing or something else. However, I would think that the hatch not being fully close would display a warning message on the instrument panel.

In a similar vein, the cargo-area light stays on forever (I think, never waited quite that long) when garaged and with hatch intentionally wide open...is that expected behavior?

I believe that 12V accessories, including interior lighting, turn off 20 or so minutes after shutting off an i3.

 

[mojo]

By coincidence, my reverse camera played up yesterday, displaying just the words "Camera Fault" on the screen. It's been Ok since, thankfully.

As already said, there is definitely a link to the rear hatch - on mine the reverse camera displays the diagonal thin bars and no image if the hatch is not latched properly but you should also get a message on the dash, and a symbol on the screen - both showing a boot/hatch open.

On my car (2021) the interior lights timeout is just over 12 minutes, but it varies according to factors that I don't fully understand. That is "typical" behaviour, but if, for example, you turn the car off and immediately back on again, it can be shorter.

 

[SandraLeigh]

I believe I recall reading that the hatch not being fully closed or its latch not functioning correctly causes the backup camera display to be interrupted in some way. What I don't know is whether the interruption is what you're describing or something else. However, I would think that the hatch not being fully close would display a warning message on the instrument panel.

I believe that 12V accessories, including interior lighting, turn off 20 or so minutes after shutting off an i3.

It is the hatch or trunk latch that is not securely fashioned - mine has done that a few time and each time I get out of the car and securely close the trunk and then the camera works again,

 

[808Pants]

It is the hatch or trunk latch that is not securely fashioned - mine has done that a few time and each time I get out of the car and securely close the trunk and then the camera works again,

I will be very happy to find that this is the issue, even if it makes no engineering sense to disable the camera (esp while telling me not to rely on it exclusively...) Thanks for the data. I'll be back with the car in a couple of weeks and see what happens then.