Call to Arms for the dreaded U052 Wrong Printhead Error

[macnicol]

This is a "call to arms" for all of you Canon customers who have had this problem and have had their printers disabled because of it.  Please respond with the model of your printer and if you were able to fix it, what you did to fix it. 

We need to put pressure on Canon to respond this product defect.  It appears to be bad firmware that does not allow the user to override the problem and to continue to use the printer even in a degraded mode.  From my investigations the problem is NOT a printhead issue - no way one can be printing fine and then have this error alert without having changed the printhead or ink cartridges!

Canon, PLEASE take this issue seriously and provide a solution across the affected models.  If nothing else there should be a trade-in allowance for those printers that have been affected by this product defect.

I have had many Canon printers because they have superior functional specifications. I want to be able to continue using Canon products but only if I can have confidence that this product defect will not destroy my investment.

If Canon is unresponsive our next step should be to aggressively publisize this product defect on social media and on major product vendor outlet sites as negatives reviews.

Forum Users, please reply with your affected model number(s) and with details of any succdessful fix procedure.

[TERINJ]

HI!  I am on my 3rd canon printer in 10 years.  the first one was a lemon and canon refusd to do anything about it.  i also found out after 6 months of paying for on-the-phone help (while the printer and canon scanner were still under warranty)that BOTH components were hooked into the same port!  I was a newbie then.  

I bought another canon because of the picture print quality~~beautiful, once i got it to work.  However, I had the same error issues with the last printer, Pixma iP3500, and the current printer, MG5220~~dead print heads.  they last about 3 to 3.5 years with normal daily printing for home use/light business.  I was told this by a computer repair tech who is licensed for Canon printer repairs.  He was very informative and helpful. 

Basically, the home printers (between $100-$200~~approximate range) are made to burn out in the time mine did.  My printer worked fine on thursday.  I printed a few copies of a letter in black ink.  On Friday I tried to copy a bill payment and got the message  ERROR B200.  The ink was fine.  all canon tanks.  no empty msgs.  I tried everything, and conceded to a new printer.

I am shopping online for a new printhead for the MG5220 so I can use it solely for pictures.  I LOVE this printer and I'm really upset about the shortage of replacement parts.  Like you, I suggested some sort of swap of the broken one for a new one, as a long time Canon user.  They do have some loyalty program, but I bought an PIXMA MX922 for less than what the Canon store was willing to sell it for.  It was on Amazon.  I am waiting for it now.

They do have to do something about this issue because I now have 2 Canon printers that only need print heads and they can be used.

thank you for the chance to speak!  Good Luck!!

[dkrc]

Same here, just started getting this message, and after reading the comments, it looks like I will no longer be buying a canon printer or any other canon products. I have not called them yet, but i will be calling tomorrow. I had a protection paln with office depot, but canon never informed me of the class action law suit or the defect...very pooor customer service on there part.

[aliris19]

I'm happy to pile on. I think this is something like the 125th page of multiple posts. I have an MX892. Cleaned the printhead but am doubtful of success. Purchased the thing from Costco so I'll call them in the morning. 😞

Thanks, all, for posting!

[skicolorado]

My Canon PIXMA MX892 printhead just died, too. I was using genuine Canon ink cartridges. The printer failed without warning and the entire system was rendered completely useless. Since the printer was over a year old (barely), Canon would not help me after none of the posted “fixes” worked. They offered I could buy a new printhead for $90, including taxes and shipping. To add to their audacity, there are no guarantees a new print head would resolve the issue and part is not returnable. Bottom line is one more seemingly perfect printer headed for the scrap heap. This is really ridiculous because this is clearly a defect well known by Canon. A printhead must cost only one or two dollars to manufacture, at the most. A firmware fix (the more likely issue) should be effectively free. Instead, Canon ignores the issue and turns the almost new printer into junk. On top of that, I’m also stuck with my now worthless inventory of Canon 225/226 ink cartridges. What an unbelievable, lousy way to do business.

[seniorelder]

And so say all of us... Still no reply from Canon to my second email to so called support. I have just thought of a new slogan for them: If anyone can, Canon can't! Fed up and disillusioned in England!

[stuffed1printer]

Having moved on from my Canon MP610 which was great while it worked, I put it aside for a free HP printer. I held on to the Canon in the hope of a miracle cure but decided yesterday that it was not likely. However just to satisfy my curiousity I decided to dismember it to see what there was in the print head area. No finess in dismantling, just ripping off panels until I had the print head parts seperated. There were no electrical sensors or like in the ink pads but the print head carrier had a PC board with a lot of interesting components. I suspect that the "printhead error" code refers to the actual carrier and electronics that needs replacing, not the easy accessable printhead. Whatever Canon has designed into these printers is in the difficult to remove carrier and would be expensive to replace. So I kept the carrier etc and dumped the rest into the bin. I can post a photo of the dismembered carrier if someone can suggest a suitable host; ...Youtube?

[mcaxley]

you tube sounds good to me. let me know where you post it

[stuffed1printer]

I have uploaded a video to Youtube showing a dismantled printer head and carrier from my MP610 multifunction printer.

You can decide where the problem is but for me it is not in the printhead but in the electronics in the printhead carrier. The error message should read ' printer carrier PC board not functioning'.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GBWRsztHAw&feature=youtu.be

[Geomath]

Thanks Stuffed - you would be up for an Oscar if you had finished it off with a sledge hammer!

[Aardvark]

"Thanks Stuffed - you would be up for an Oscar if you had finished it off with a sledge hammer!" That's exactly what I did and back on page 13 of this thread I posted a link to a photo of the most satisfying result. Canon must have decided that a smashed up MX560 was too pornographic so they removed the link. Now, where's my Oscar\/