Dodge Ram 1500 Backup Camera: What To Know

in Ownership
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The Ram 1500 is a very powerful truck capable of handling and overcoming almost any challenge thrown at it. It is equipped with an abundance of safety features that will keep you from running into an accident while you’re performing heavy-duty tasks. One of those features is a high-quality backup camera that will help you park or hook up a trailer with ease. 

Besides the Ram 1500 backup camera, let’s take a look at other safety features of the powerful pickup truck.

Camera, Blind Spot Monitoring, Assisted Parking

The Ram 1500 backup camera is located on the left side of the tailgate handle. That’s not all:

The 360 View

With the Ram 1500 camera system, you can see all around your vehicle, which is very helpful during difficult off-roading situations, tight parking, or loading a large trailer. This is an excellent addition to the Ram 1500, and it might look unnecessary at first glance, but once you get used to it, you’ll wonder how you ever went without it.

Blind Spot Monitoring

Blind-spot monitoring is nothing new—it has been around for some time. Still, the Ram 1500 has blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-path and trailer detection that scans the blind spots all around the vehicle. This is extremely useful, especially if you’re towing a large trailer. The feature will account for everything, including the length of the trailer, and it’ll help you maneuver your Ram 1500 safely.


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Assisted Parking

Park Assist is a guidance system that will help you park parallel and perpendicular. This is an excellent feature that will save you time and hassle, not only by assisting you while you’re parking but by allowing you to park in sports that you would otherwise avoid.

How Much Does a Ram 1500 Backup Camera Cost?

The features above are found in newer Ram 1500 pickup trucks. However, some of the older generations of the truck don’t even have a backup camera, let alone the features listed above. Since the older generation still looks beautiful, preserving and modernizing them would be a great idea, and installing a backup camera is an excellent way to start!

Edmunds mentioned that a camera would cost you from $150 to $400 and the labor another $400 to $600. That should serve as a baseline, but you can definitely spend less or more depending on what you’re looking to do with your Ram 1500.

A complete system similar to the one found in the 2021 Ram 1500 can cost you thousands of dollars. Your skill level with electronics and vehicle electrical cables will have a huge impact on the price. You can save yourself hundreds of dollars by installing a backup camera all by yourself. There are a few videos online that we’ve found helpful—try YouTube!

Types of Backup Cameras

If you’re looking to replace a faulty Ram 1500 backup camera, you can purchase a bumper camera, but if you have an older model, a wireless camera would be much better. Down below are the best options, and we hope to help you choose correctly!

Bumper Backup Camera

These types of cameras are installed into the bumper of your truck, into a small hole that has been pre-drilled from the factory. Even if the hole hasn’t been pre-drilled, bumper camera manufacturers usually include a drill bit that’s perfect for the job. However, drilling into your truck isn’t a great idea unless you know what you’re doing.

Bumper cameras usually have grid lines and multiple options for field of vision, which makes them a decent choice. You won’t have to spend too much money, but you’ll still have a good backup camera system.

License Backup Camera

These types of cameras are mounted on your truck’s rear license plate. They can also be installed on an RV or a trailer.

These cameras offer good versatility, and their simple installation gives them an advantage. Another advantage that they have is that they’re usually equipped with various features such as a Hi-resolution CCD lens or night-vision LEDs.

Side View Camera

These cameras are installed on semi-trucks, campers, or RVs, and they help you change lanes safely.

Although these types of cameras can serve well as stand-alone backup cameras, they would work excellently as support cameras in a modern system.


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Heavy-Duty Camera

Ram 1500 backup camera needs to be able to withstand extreme weather, rough conditions, and random mishaps. That’s because owners of these powerful vehicles utilize that power to either off-road or perform heavy-duty work.

Heavy-duty cameras do exactly that. They’re designed to survive anything that might happen while you’re working or off-roading. Additionally, these types of cameras can be custom-made with exactly the features that you need.

Wireless Camera

Wireless backup cameras are the best, but they’re also the most expensive. Their convenience will cost you a lot of money, but it might be worth it if you own an old Ram 1500 and you’d like to avoid messing with the already fragile electric cables of your truck.

These types of cameras can be very versatile; They can connect to your phone, they can be rear-view mirror integrated, cigarette socket powered, or solar-powered.

Although these cameras cost more than the previous backup cameras mentioned, you’ll save some of that money because you won’t need a professional to install the camera in your Ram 1500. And even if a professional does install one of those cameras, the fragile cables could be damaged, and that could result in major issues that aren’t worth fixing.


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How to Install a Ram 1500 Backup Camera

Installing a Ram 1500 backup camera shouldn’t cause you that much trouble unless you have an older model with already emerging electrical issues. If that’s the case, a wireless camera would be your best option. However, if you’d still like to try and do the installation yourself, do some online research! You’ll find a lot of DIY videos and online communities of tinkerers writing helpful guides.



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