Woman's Car Can't Function Without a Camera. Then the Mechanic Tells Her There Are None in the US

If anything marks this particular moment in history, it’s inconsistency and inconvenience. Sometimes there’s a workaround, often there’s not. But increasingly it can feel like the immobility of our current government is echoed in day-to-day life.

Or at least that’s how it feels for TikToker and budding political commenter Tessi (@tessittalk). A recent trip to the mechanic ended with reflections on America’s global standing and the ripple effect of tariffs.

What in the World?

In a video that’s been watched over 8,700 times, Tessi recalls, “I had ‘oh my God, we’re a third world country here in the U.S.’ moment today.”

Over onscreen text that reads, “No parts available for my car?? What in the third world?!” She explains it's not the first time she’s had this thought, as she says she’s experienced other things “not working the way they’re supposed to.”

It’s just that this incident is particularly galling.

“Long story short, my car needs a new camera. The camera hooks up to a lot of different functions. So when it stopped working, it started creating what they’re calling ‘Christmas lights.’”

The nickname “Christmas lights” for car trouble is exactly what it sounds like: every dashboard light illuminated without apparent cause. So while the car may be safe to drive, as Tessi’s mechanic assures her it is, it’s still an unnerving experience.

“It says there’s a transmission issue, a brake issue, all these alerts are popping up …so if there were actually a break issue or a transmission issue I wouldn’t know,” Tessi says.

Are Tariffs To Blame?

According to S&P Global, “US auto tariffs are shaking up the global auto industry, increasing costs and creating uncertainty with constant change. There is substantial risk that stalling production and increasing consumer costs combine to drive down sales.” 

Now Tessi finds herself personally impacted. After what seems like the last camera in America is installed in her vehicle, it doesn’t work. “They cannot find another camera. It is on backorder. There are no cameras in the US.” 

She said the mechanics even called the manufacturer and it’s going to be “several months” before new cameras are available.

“So now I have a car that literally cannot be fixed because of trade wars and the fact that things are not being shipped to the US,” she claims.

Though Tessi does not specify the make and model of her vehicle, tariffs are having an impact on both foreign and domestic automakers. For example, as Motor1 previously reported, General Motors is reportedly set to lose $1.1 billion dollars in revenue year over year.

The comments on her TikTok are divided, though many users expressed similar frustrations. “This is happening all over,” wrote @userJeff. “It’s months to get car parts. Most are made out of the country. And yes, we are a 3rd world country. We have been. Just don’t know it. Our trader partners have been pushed away. All of them shipping less if at all. This will start happening in many other industries soon.” 

But in that same thread, @manism. disagreed, “I work on cars and my son is a mechanic. This started 5 years ago, part backlogs have been a problem long before tariffs. Ask any mechanic.”

The workaround, @Bumruish suggested, “Sounds like a trip to Canada or Mexico to get a camera.” And another user, @Sarah, said “aftermarket or junkyard is your best bet.”

A few viewers mentioned that driving older vehicles helps avoid planned obsolescence and overly complex systems. Others left snarky remarks along the lines of “finding greatness again.” 

Camera Catastrophe

So the question remains: is it an ongoing issue or one taking on gigantic proportions because of tariffs? A recent Forbes article asserts, “About one in three [businesses surveyed] report declining or deferred sales tied to tariffs while nearly all (97%) say they’ve seen no sales increase at all. Almost 40% report shrinking gross margins.

That same survey reported that the costs are getting passed on to the consumer. “[T]wo-thirds of companies have passed through up to half of their tariff costs to consumers and 21% have passed on more than half.”

A Wall Street Journal writer recently wrote, “President Trump—and his critics—have described his tariffs as an earthquake that would transform the US economy. So far, the impact has been mostly a series of tremors.”

So even though Tessi’s camera problem might be classified as a tremor, it is understandable that she ends her video on a sour note, because tremors are disruptive too.

“This is the kind of crap that happens in a third world country,” she says. “So what does that say about us?”

Motor1 reached out to Tessi to see how things are going. We’ll update this article if she responds.