The image is not working, we hear (4)
I believe the answer is:
idol
'the image' is the definition.
(idol is a kind of image)
'not working we hear' is the wordplay.
'not working' becomes 'idle' (I've seen this before).
'we hear' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'idle' is a homophone of 'IDOL'.
'is' is the link.
(Other definitions for idol that I've seen before include "'Worshipped object, admired person (4)'" , "Personal hero" , "Superstar; graven image" , "Object of false worship" , "Film star" .)