Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails
Most reported: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 391 reports. Across the 836 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 23,960.
- 23,960owner reports
- 836model years affected
- 39,000median miles
- 499involved a crash
- 155involved a fire
Screen complaints read like a list of small betrayals. The display goes black or freezes, the backup camera shows nothing when you shift into reverse, CarPlay or Android Auto keeps dropping, or the radio changes volume on its own. Many owners had a software update that didn't fix it. A narrower sheet covers backup camera failures on their own, and another covers screens that freeze.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of infotainment reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12018 Jeep Grand Cherokee2 crashes2 firesrecall39146% of its complaints34k mi
- 22016 Ford Escape6 crashesrecall26424% of its complaints82k mi
- 32015 Tesla Model S4 crashesrecall25538% of its complaints61k mi
- 42022 Polestar Polestar 21 crashrecall25383% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 52015 Ford Escape2 crashes1 firerecall22120% of its complaints90k mi
- 62019 Honda Pilot3 crashesrecall20022% of its complaints14k mi
- 72015 Ford Explorer4 crashes19511% of its complaints95k mi
- 82016 Ford Fusion10 crashes1 fire18511% of its complaints85k mi
- 92020 Ford Explorer9 crashesrecall17715% of its complaints17k mi
- 102016 Tesla Model S2 crashes1 firerecall16926% of its complaints50k mi
- 112020 Honda Pilot1 crash1 firerecall16834% of its complaints4k mi
- 122019 Ford Flex1 crashrecall16767% of its complaints50k mi
- 132018 Jeep Compass2 crashes1 firerecall15917% of its complaints22k mi
- 142018 Subaru Outback4 crashesrecall15819% of its complaints13k mi
- 152018 Ram 15001 crashrecall15123% of its complaints45k mi
- 162016 Honda Pilotrecall1479% of its complaints41k mi
- 172019 Jeep Cherokee1 crashrecall1429% of its complaints11k mi
- 182019 Ram 15002 crashes1 firerecall14210% of its complaints22k mi
- 192014 Ford Escape1 crash3 firesrecall1397% of its complaints78k mi
- 202017 Honda CR-V4 crashes1388% of its complaints22k mi
- 212018 Honda Odyssey1 crash1 firerecall13614% of its complaints17k mi
- 222023 Volkswagen ID.43 crashes1 firerecall13530% of its complaints11k mi
- 2313313% of its complaints14k mi
- 242018 Tesla Model 39 crashesrecall13013% of its complaints26k mi
- 252021 Polestar Polestar 22 crashesrecall13088% of its complaintsfew mileages
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe infotainment. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12023 Polestar Polestar 2recall10389% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 22021 Polestar Polestar 22 crashesrecall13088% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 310986% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 42022 Polestar Polestar 21 crashrecall25383% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 52019 Ford Flex1 crashrecall16767% of its complaints50k mi
- 62018 Chrysler 3001 crashrecall9159% of its complaints60k mi
- 712149% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 82019 Dodge Journey2 crashes4646% of its complaints83k mi
- 92018 Jeep Grand Cherokee2 crashes2 firesrecall39146% of its complaints34k mi
- 102018 Honda Ridgeline1 crash6742% of its complaints50k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford Escape824
- Ram 1500726
- Honda Pilot720
- Ford F-150688
- Honda Accord685
When it happens
9,150 of the 23,960 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 14,000 and 68,000 miles; the median is 39,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of infotainment, grouped by the model year of the car. 499 involved a crash and 155 a fire. 317 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 23,960 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
Why a screen fault can be a safety fault
NHTSA has required backup cameras on all new vehicles since May 2018, and federal standard 111 exists to reduce the deaths and injuries that happen when a driver can't see behind the vehicle. A screen that goes dark in reverse is more than an annoyance. When the rear view fails to appear it can fall short of that standard, and rear camera recalls turn up on hundreds of the model years covered here.
NHTSA also points out that a backup camera isn't a replacement for mirrors or turning to look. Keep that in mind while yours is unreliable.
What is usually involved
Owners name the head unit or screen, the camera, various control modules and the software. Software comes up a lot in these reports, often because an update was tried and the fault came back.
What a shop checks first
Ask whether there's a software update for your head unit and whether it has already been applied. Then ask them to scan the infotainment and camera modules for stored faults.
When to stop relying on it
With the camera out, back up the old way: mirrors, a look over your shoulder, and a walk around the car if you can't see.
What to tell the mechanic
Say how often it happens, whether a restart clears it, and whether it began after an update or a phone change. A phone video of the black screen with the car in reverse is the most useful thing you can bring.
Recalls, bulletins and warranty
Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall page first; the fix is free. For non-safety glitches, search your year, make and model to read the service bulletins manufacturers must file with NHTSA. An infotainment unit that fails inside the factory warranty should be covered, and if the dealer can't reproduce it, ask them to write your complaint on the repair order anyway.
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.