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.

[Cola]

My Canon MX895 (not in the lists) has the "U052 The type of print head is incorrect. Install the correct print head" error this morning. I have tried all the recommended solutions to no avail. My printer was working perfectly up untill this problem, it has had a fairly light useage since I purchased it 3 years & 2 months ago.

I too have been a long time purchaser of canon printers and cameras, advocating them to my friends and family. I will be telling them all about this problem, the successfull class lawsuit, and the suggestion that it was an intentional money grab.

I will be doing serious research before buying another canon product, If it happens to another canon product I own, I will never buy another.

Is there any hope for refund for those of us who had failures after the closing date in 2015.

[victorvo]

It is time for class action everyone has problem please contact attorney 

[addmetothelist8]

Add me to the list; 

I flip the printer over to correct an odd paper jam & there ya go, next time I power on the printer U052 staring at me.

Tried the fixes, same sinking ship as everyone else. Can't wait till these wasteful electronics companies are charged for the overabundant e-waste they make that ends up in landfills so quickly.

[Don_S]

Me too. My MP800 just died with the dreaded U052 print head message when I turned it on to print this time. Cartridges were half used. I tried the company reset procedure a couple of times with no luck. Very disappointing to read all the complaints on this issue here and like others I will be looking at another brand when I go to Frys this evening to get a new printer.I'm a typical light home user and while I've had the printer for a while the complaints on this forum have me scared to replace my printer with another Canon.

[freebyrd57]

I have a brand new one that wont work and the ink is full it has this error... so frustrated

its a Canon MG6620

[thezillionthsue]

Well at least if yours is brand new it will still be under guarantee so hopefully you can get your money back and buy a printer which isn't a Canon!!

[steve2]

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i will try the alchohol clean and then the shallow distilled water methods

- if the above do not work - i will get a Brother JP6240DW printer as replacement - currently $50 cask back in Australia

- sorry Canon but I have had 4 printers with you over 13 years (not a good average)

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AS SOME CANON OWNERS SUGGESTED:

I tried cleaning the print head circuir board with alchohol

I tried soaking the print head in very shallow distilled water over-night (flushing the inky water many times prior to the over-night soak)

I was very careful and meticulous in both processes not to soak the circuit board

BOTH METHODS DID NOT WORK

I will now be purchasing the Brother JP4620DW printer as previously mentioned. I have no choice, as purchasing a Canon is now too much of a risk with the U052 "print head is incorrect" error (which bascally shuts down the system)

[steve2]

i will try the alchohol clean and then the shallow distilled water methods

- if the above do not work - i will get a Brother JP6240DW printer as replacement - currently $50 cask back in Australia

- sorry Canon but I have had 4 printers with you over 13 years (not a good average)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AS SOME CANON OWNERS SUGGESTED:

I tried cleaning the print head circuir board with alchohol

I tried soaking the print head in very shallow distilled water over-night (flushing the inky water many times prior to the over-night soak)

I was very careful and meticulous in both processes not to soak the circuit board

BOTH METHODS DID NOT WORK

I will now be purchasing the Brother JP4620DW printer as previously mentioned. I have no choice, as purchasing a Canon is now too much of a risk with the U052 "print head is incorrect" error (which bascally shuts down the system)

[LCloster]

I have this problem, as of two days ago, on a Pixma MX882.  Tried removing the printer head and another proposed fix; both failed.  Please let me know if there's any satisfaction from Canon.  Thanks.

[steve2]

Just an update:

I have my new Brother JP4620DW printer up and running and happy with it it looks so much tidier than my old Canon MG5350 and has a few more features (fax/A3/larger screen, near touch mobile transfer, auto copying of upto 20 different documents, etc). I will say however, that my old Canon had a slightly better print quality and a slight bit less clunky and quieter than the Brother is. But besides that the Brother is very good.

thanks all

[Mamagull]

"Welcome" to our new members who are also U052 victims. If you want to know what people have tried in an effort to fix this problem I recommend reading all of the messages that have been posted since this thread was established over 2 years ago. In that time at most a half dozen folks have managed to get their printers working again, but none lasted very long before the code reappeared. The latest gent (waleshead I believe) managed to parlay his techie knowledge to circumvent the issue, and I look forward to hearing how long the fix works before the error code returns.
If the receipt had been hung onto I could have joined the class action suit last year, although the $50 awarded to people who had spent many times more than that on the printers and ink was a pittance. Canon did not have to admit to any possible source or cause of the problem, much less promise to find and fix it.
It has been reported by some here that there are or were a few sympathetic tech reps who admitted
that Canon knew that there was a problem with the printers, but chose not to do anything about it.
I replaced my printer/anchor with an Epson and am pleased as punch with it. Best of all, it works great. I won't buy another Canon printer, and I do make a point of warning potential canon buyers what they are getting themselves into.