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.

[microshaft]

So my MX892 has decided to go the way of the U052 today.  Looks like I'm in good company.  Honestly, this was otherwise an excellent printer and I would have heartily recommended it to anyone but I'm equally disapointed and likely to tell me friends.  It all started with a ink tank swap for me...

[Susanne]

I posted from Germany on page 36 or 37 or so. The link to the youtube video where someone explains how this error comes about is really very instructional and answers a lot of questions. The sum of it is: There is nothing wrong with the printhead, don't buy a new printhead, it won't help. The cause of the error is a full waste ink pad. The pad soaks up ink from the cartridges every time you turn on the printer. When the pad is full of ink, the printer stops working.

There is nothing you can do about it. Exchanging that pad - if such a pad were for sale - would cost you more than a new printer.

I've gone to several retailers and asked very informed, well-trained staff about this, and they all tell me that ALL brands work like this. I bought a Brother printer, too. But I am convinced that at some point, it will stop functioning, too, shortly after the warranty ends, and after the soaked up ink fills the pad to the brim. This is a laser printer now, and even they have this technology of absorbing ink.

It would be more honest of Canon and the other printer manufacturers to be up front about this, instead of hiding behind an obscure printhead error code. Also it would be good to know that the printer should not be taken off the power completely. Turned off, yes, but not disconnected from the plug socket.

Every time you turn on the printer after it was completely off the power, it does an automatic cleaning, which soaks up a lot of ink from the cartridges, with the two-fold effect

a.) you lose ink from your cartridges for nothing

b.) your ink waste pad gets fuller and fuller and closer to the dreaded non-function point

The staff in the retail stores knew all about this. It's nothing new. I do agree that Canon should stop hiding behind excuses, though. If the trained staff (in Germany) knows about it, I'm sure in other countries they know about it, too.

Susanne

[faithful1957]

Mx860 error message u052. I sent an email to canon a week ago and I can't even get them to respond. I have always purchased Canon printers and spent numerous dollars on ink. I guess someone else will get my dollars now. What happened to this once great company?

[RenuNergy]

Hi Susanne,

I just viewed the youtube video you had as a link on page 37 and it's very interesting. My first thought before I watched the vide was that the printer would need a sensor to determine when the Ink Sucking Repository Pad was full.  But the entire theory about printers sucking ink out of cartidges when the printer isn't being used to increase ink sales is just mind blowing. The video is very convincing as are other things on the internet (some of which as scams).  I might try my own experiment and see if this really is the case.  This would be criminal behavior as the presented stated in the video.

As far as the Germans knowing the truth about this matter, you may have a more honest population.

Some individuals on this planet believe that everyone else has significantly less mental resources and can be fooled perpetually.

[Gizmo1bw]

So is there a sensor on the ink pads that senses the amount of ink?, if so we can do something about it and make sure there is less ink there, or to dry the ink there, or replaces the ink pad???...

[RenuNergy]

There is no proof that this ink sucking repository is the cause of the problem nor that it exists. Anyone can make a video these days and post it on Youtube for the masses to see.  Having worked on robotics, which the printer essentially is, there would have to be a sensor to detect that the repository was full.  From the video posted on Youtube, who knows what was done to produce the ink in the pad that was shown. So until we have honest individuals (they seem to be a lack of them these days) verify this claim (remember cold fusion), we can't totally believe it.   And I also would suspect that if there was an ink sucking system it would need a motor which needs power.  So turning off the printer when not in use or if it's a gravitational feed, turning the printer upside down would address this.  But all of this is just a distraction from the real issue. The printers fail to work sometime after the warranty expires and Canon continues to deny the problem exists. The Post that stated that a new contributor had taken apart his Canon Printer experiencing the U052 error and not noticed any substantial excess ink was removed when I came to the forum this morning.

[microshaft]

That was my post, which appears to have been deleted by Canon.  Not sure what they didn't like about it.  Since I have a pile of ink tanks, I went ahead and bought another Canon printer but, for the first time ever in my life, opted for an extended warranty for $10.00. 

[sanvan]

Add me to the list of people who have a Canon 5320 and got the print head error. No changes were made at all and suddely I am shut down. My printer is not event hat old, It is critical that I have one that operates. Now I have to go buy a new one right away...it will NOT be a Cannon.

[faithful1957]

Why no response at all from Canon? Not even an I'm sorry, we can't help you. I have been totally ignored. Disappointed.
Mx860 paid top dollar for this printer. Should have lasted longer. Wireless, scanner, photo, and fax. Now all rendered useless.

[amfowler]

I have an MP 980, have just bought expensive new cartridges and got U052, followed the instructions to adjust it, still stuck on U052, can't even go to home menu