
Solution for a reversed rearview camera: Swap the front camera and the rearview camera. The issue of left-right inversion in the rearview camera's image occurs when the front-view camera is mistakenly installed at the rear of the car during installation, which is the difference between the front camera and the rearview camera. Additionally, another possibility is that the vehicle's infotainment system has mirror image conversion enabled. You can re-engage the reverse gear, find the settings button in the navigation device under the rearview camera mode, check if there is a mirror adjustment or reverse mirror function, then click to set it, and finally turn it off. The rearview camera uses a far-infrared wide-angle camera device installed at the rear of the car, displaying obstacles behind the vehicle clearly on the in-car display screen. When the reverse gear is engaged, the rearview camera automatically activates the high-definition rearview camera at the rear of the car, clearly displaying the rear situation on the LCD screen, allowing the driver to accurately grasp the road conditions behind.

I've been running an auto repair shop for over a decade, and reversed backup camera images are a common issue. The most likely cause is an upside-down camera installation, especially right after replacing the camera. You can try rotating the camera 180 degrees and resecuring it, just make sure the wiring harness isn't twisted. If you haven't replaced the camera recently, check your infotainment system settings for a mirror/flip option - most modern vehicles have this adjustment in the backup camera settings. Older models are trickier, requiring access to engineering mode (entry methods vary by brand and can be found online). As a last resort, try pressing the reset button (usually a tiny hole near the camera) with a pin. Once, a customer had reversed polarity during wiring modification which also caused image reversal - never tamper with wiring yourself in such cases.

Last week my car also had the rearview camera displaying upside down, and I managed to fix it myself after half an hour of tinkering. First, confirm whether the entire image is inverted - in this case, there's a 90% chance the camera is physically installed upside down. Just loosen the screw and rotate it back. If it's a left-right mirrored effect, most car systems hide this setting deep in the menus: don't exit when in reverse gear, directly press the settings button to find the camera-related options, and look for a switch called 'horizontal flip' to turn on. Japanese cars particularly like to bury this in hidden menus accessed through steering wheel button combinations - for example, the Camry requires long-pressing both the volume button and HOME button simultaneously. Special note for those who've replaced their center console screen: aftermarket cameras require adjusting orientation parameters in the Android settings, and the interface varies between different brands.

Don't panic if your reversing image is inverted. Check in three steps: First, see if the camera is installed upside down (common after car washes or accidents). Second, enter the vehicle settings to adjust the image mode (most new cars allow direct screen settings for flipping). Third, check the wiring connectors (rain can cause oxidation and confusion). For German cars like Volkswagen, holding the central control power button for 10 seconds to restart the system often fixes it. Once after rain, my image was inverted left-right; opening the trunk panel revealed a short-circuited connector from water accumulation—drying and reinserting it solved the issue. When installing a 360-degree panoramic recorder, note that selecting the wrong camera type can also cause mirror flipping.

Reversed rearview images are mostly signal-related issues. The most common scenario is a mismatch between the camera's output format and the head unit's decoding, especially in aftermarket installations. For factory-installed systems, prioritize checking for head unit system updates or performing a reset (hold the volume button for 15 seconds). For aftermarket devices, differentiate between three situations: 1) Older AV-signal cameras may exhibit reversed images due to cable interference—replace with shielded cables; 2) For digital signals, verify protocol settings and use the companion app to adjust image rotation parameters; 3) Cameras with gravity sensors may malfunction after bumps and require static recalibration. Last week, while helping a neighbor, we discovered unstable voltage in their reverse light circuit caused abnormal camera power supply—installing a voltage regulator fixed it.


