Can It Be Fixed? Pickup Truck Tailgate Backup Camera (Video)

pickup truck tailgate camera

Rear backup cameras are now required equipment on all passenger vehicles and light trucks that are on sale in the United States in 2018 and beyond. These cameras are very helpful to pickup truck and SUV owners who are hitching up trailers. It helps to get the job done by yourself, and done quickly. This helpful feature becomes nearly useless once you lower the tailgate when hauling large items in the bed. It provides a great view of the license plate and a close-up of a hitch, but no view of what’s going on behind the truck until you are literally on top of it.

Is there any way to fix it with a new solution? Can the camera mount swivel down manually when the gate is down? Can a second camera be placed in another location that works when the tailgate is down? Can a mirror reflector pop out to redirect what the camera is seeing?

This is by no means an issue that is isolated to GM pickup trucks. All cameras on trucks from Ford, Nissan, Ram, and Toyota are implemented in a very similar way. Many heavy duty trucks also offer a cab-mounted CHMSL (“chimzel”) camera that can help with hooking up a gooseneck trailer and checking on your cargo. Still, this does not offer a good view of what is right behind the truck, especially when carrying big items or a truck camper.

Here is another fancy “MultiPro” tailgate from GM that will be available on next generation 2019 GMC Sierra and 2019 Chevy Silverado trucks.

Here are TFL’s Tommy and Michael – discussing the issue that plagues all new pickup trucks.