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.

[bogeydrvr]

Same issue for me last week with the MX860.  Followed the Article for resetting the print head.  No joy.

CANON - please help.

[TonyB]

Same problem with my MX870 here in far off Hobart, Tasmania.  I have always used genuine Canon ink, and while the unit has had an easy life, sometimes not used for a month it has been trouble free until now.  Replaced a single empty cartridge and up came the U052 message.  Have tried all of the suggested solutions, including re-seating the print head and unplugging the printer to no avail.  Just add me to the list of unhappy cutomers

[CanonNeverAgain]

I rarely join forums to post, but this KNOWN issue is not resolved by the link Canon points everyone to.

If these instructions resolved the problem there wouldn't be over 800 individuals posting. 

It's a cop out Canon and you know it. 

Same as other posters, I always purchase genuine Canon ink and replaced the set recently. Now they are useless.

Also like other posters this printer is used in a residential environment. It has never been used to print large multi-page documents. Single pages perhaps once a month.

Add me to the long and ever growing list of pi**ed customers.

Patrik
Australia

[CanonNeverAgain]

I see from the first few pages, Canon are private messaging member to offer discounted replacements.

I'd like to be contacted Canon, just to see what can be done.

MP970.

[wiredefx]

They are offering 20% off (or around there) of their LIST price (not retail) on a new printer. Don't fall for it. 20% off of list is still higher than retail. Sometimes 50% off list price is still not retail.

[TonyB]

Thanks wiredefx,

CanonForum@cits.canon.com just sent me the following useful message:

"Hi TonyB,

wiredefx (Frequent Contributor) posted a new Reply in Personal Printers on 04-18-2015 07:03 PM" :

and your reply was:

"They are offering 20% off (or around there) of their LIST price (not retail) on a new printer. Don't fall for it. 20% off of list is still higher than retail. Sometimes 50% off list price is still not retail."

Thanks for the warning, for which I AM grateful, but Canon hasn't even offered me that yet.  The fact that the Canon forum moderator pointed me to your warning as offering the solution to my U052 related complaint shows how much Canon attention the company pays to the forum and how much the company cares about complaints from users. 

In the meantime I have a dead printer and about $300 worth of useless and non-returnable Canon ink cartridges to suit it.  I'm not too inclined to point anyone towards Canon products right now.  Its much more rewarding to tell the story of my Canon experience to anyone who will listen fot 5 minutes.

Regards,

Tony B 

Hobart, Tasmania

[Aardvark]

And that, my friend, is the best you can ever make out of this situation. Spread the word.

[RadicalRick]

Sadly this week i have encountered this error on my PIXMA MX885 im from the UK so this looks pretty much world wide.

The printers been working for a couple of years and i can honestly say it was the best printer i've ever owned; Then this.
 
It occoured after i replaced the cyan ink tank before that it was 100% ok. Now i cant do anything, tried putting the old tank back no change, tried cannons solution multiple times no hope.

Very strange how it seems to have magicly occoured after a change in ink, and also have been magicly reported by soo many users.

So now im left with a choice of purchasing a replacement print head in the hope it resolves the issue, judging by all the posts i doubt it will.

Would be nice if Cannon at least give some definitive answers to the issue, their silence indecates all that needs to be said.
Reminds me of Nvida and HPs cover up of the "Nvidia Defect" i was also a victum of;

Ill remind Cannon of the Law.
If you purchase a product and that product fails due to an inherent or manufacturing defect at any time up to six years from the date of purchase then both the Sale Of Goods Act 1979 (as amended) and the Limitations Act of 1980 gives you the absolute right in law to take legal action against the retailer.

[Aardvark]

The last part of the law you quote would appear to attack the retailer, not the manufacturer who caused the fault. Such a shame a legal redress would cost us more money to pursue. Perhaps that is why Canon are ignoring our pleas. PS. I have had four of the nine emails I sent to Canon executives bounced back as "undeliverable". Hopefully the other five hit their target.

[thezillionthsue]

I'm also in the UK.

When I get a minute I intend to write to the consumer pages of all the weekend papers about this.

Maybe some wider publicity might get Canon to actually address the issue, or at least come clean about what is causing it.

There are clearly too many people who have had the problem for it to be some sort of occasional glitch, and as somebody said above, those finding and posting on this thread must be just the tip of the iceberg.

I only found it because I googled the error message, but a lot of people probably wouldn't bother, or if they did wouldn't bother to actually join the forum to post on the thread.

GRRRRRRRR.