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.

[Aardvark]

If your printer is out of waranty, you are stuck. There is nothing you can do apart from start saving up for a new (NOT CANON) printer. Any remedy suggested by Canon will involve you spending more than the cost of a new printer.

[puppylove]

If it's under a year - they will replace it. Honestly - at the risk of it happening again, I'd sell the replacement and get another brand with the $.

Another option is your credit card return/purchase protection (usualy within 90 days only) OR extended warranty program which adds one year, but that should only be if Canon won't help of ir you are between year 1 and 2 for the ext. warranty option.

[nuggat]

This just happened to my MG5350 printer too 😞  It just passed it's warranty, so we can't do anything. In my eyes the printer is new, since we haven't been doing any heavy printing on it, but just few pages regularly. Then, when I had to really use it, it died on me.

I contacted the commercial agent in my country, and they totally knew about this problem. They said that you would have to buy a new print head, which is more expensive than the printer of course. What a waste! Plus, this is not environmentally friendly throwing away all of these printers after 2-3 years. I am so disappointed. 

I will buy a new printer, and it will not be Canon!

[GKH1175]

I have this error yesterday. This is the second time it happy on the Canon MP970.

[Artchic6]

I seriously could not agree more. I've not printed 100 pieces of paper and got the dreaded U052 error - called Canon and they basically brushed it off and made me an offer of 20% off my next purchase. They said that it must be broken but when i told the guy that I've been reading about it a LOT on the internet and said this is a bigger issue of your products not being made well, he got jerky with me. That's helpful. 

And i just noticed that just on your not that 120 people had this issue. That is RIDICULOUS! We should file a class action suit. 

BTW, my printer is MP610 

[Artchic6]

Don't count on much help - all they did with me was offer a small discount toward a new printer. Thanks Canon for NOTHING!

[Aardvark]

"Artchic6- And i just noticed that just on your not that 120 people had this issue. That is RIDICULOUS! We should file a class action suit. " Far more than 120 people have posted about this..............and there already is at least one class action lawsuit in progress. Google it for full info.

[Artchic6]

Thanks Aardvark. I appreciate the info. In the meantime I may have to get a new printer 😞 

[DB55]

I have a MX712. It is not more than two years old. The first thing that went wrong was the black ink stopped printing after I replaced the old ink cartridge. I did all the recommended deep cleaning process. Then I tried to realign the ink cartridges following the cannon recommended procedures. Now I have the error message that says I need to install the correct print head. As you may have guessed, the cannon recommended procedures don't work to correct this problem either. This is my second Cannon printer that has failed starting with the black ink not printing. I will not buy another Cannon printer again. If there is a class action lawsuit, I'm in. At the very least I would like my money back on the ink that I just purchased and is now useless. I'm glad I went the extra step and bought the recommended Cannon ink. I wouldn't want to ruin their printer with a cheaper off-brand ink. 

[EyedocG]

I wheeled out the garbage can to the street this week with my useless Canon MX892 printer in it.

The worst part of it isn't the money lost as a result of this gross incompetence, but the waste of natural resources.  It sickens me.  My carbon footprint didn't seem very light, but having it hauled away in the garbage truck did provide a sense of closure.

My new HP printer is functioning very well, and I hope to enjoy years of use with it.