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.

[Yankfroggy]

UPDATE: I filed for the Class Action before the deadline in December, and had heard nothing since. I sent 2 emails for status with zero response to the firm handling it: Angeion Group in Philly. So I called them today and they told me final court filing is April 25. I asked if they felt confident and they said yes.

We'll see.

To those of you just joining us. Make no mistake.

THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A VERY LONG TIME. CANON IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND HAS MADE ZERO EFFORT OR OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. MANY OF US BELIEVE THAT CANON PURPOSEFULLY CREATED FIRMWARE THAT FORCED MACHINES TO STOP BEFORE THEY WERE WORN. THE EVIDENCE IS STRONG.  NORMALLY JAPANESE COMMERCE HAS AN HONORABLE CULTURE, BUT THEIR SILENCE ON THIS ISSUE SPEAKS OF A TREACHERY THAT IS YET TO BE EXPOSED. THEY HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY HAD INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS AND WITHOUT A FINANCIALLY OR MORALLY PALATABLE EXIT STRATEGY, HAVE CHOSEN TO REMAIN SILENT. SHAME.

PERSONALLY I HAVE NO HISTORICAL BEEF WITH CANON AS A WHOLE, HAVING ENJOYED PAST PRODUCTS, BUT IN THIS CURRENT TIME, I HAVE PURCHASED THE COMPETITION, AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL CANON PURGES THE RESPONSIBLE MANAGERS, MAKES AN OFFICIAL APOLOGY AND COMPENSATION TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. IT WILL COST THEM MILLIONS BUT WILL BE WELL WORTH IT FOR THEIR FUTURE REPUTATION.

VOLKSWAGEN COMES TO MIND.

WE SHALL SEE.

[lew24]

What models are included in the lawsuit?  I want in.  My MX892 just gave me this message this morning.  Canon told me I'd have to buy a new printer as "print heads do go bad."  They told me $90 for a new print head or $80 for a new printer. 

[kidonthehip]

Well it has been well after 2 years since this topic has been brought up.

Thank you for every one that has been keeping this forum alive, I wish I had found it sooner before I bought my Canon MP600 printer scanner and replaced its cartridges thinking that would solve the problem.

I have now also replaced my printer, now knowing it is junk.

Obviously, Canon does not give any care to its consumers interests, and I will never buy another of their products again, that includes my latest camera, which is now a Panisonic LUMIX GH4 Professional.
Thank you Canon for ignoring your customers and making a terrible below average product.

[JohnWPB]

Add an MG5220 that has printed probably printed less than 200 pages to the list.  I was about to purchase another Canon, as I have used them exclusivly for years.  Looking to find a solution to the error, I found this thread on this forum.

After reading a majority of this thread, and see how Canon has stood behind their product (Insert Sarcasm Here) I swiftly switched over to an Epson WF-7620 printer.  I was just about to upgrade my Canon DSLR for a newer model, but after this printer fiasco, figured I will give Nikon my hard earned money instead to go to a fully Canon free household.

[fraivert]

Hello everybody,

After reading during 9 months all the posts on this forum and seeing the desastrous manner that Canon handled this issue, I decided not to do like the guy who smashed it with a hammer to show to the entire Canon community how he feeled about this fiasco. On the contrary, I found a place, in my very little appartment, to store my printer with the 30 useless ink cartridges that could only fit with my "dead" MG5350.

Inspired by a recent comment of a perseverant guy who decided to understand really WHY this dreaded U052 error message couldn't disappear, I decided to follow his VERY long process (he had to put on and off his printer about a hundred times manipulating the cartridges in between...). In fact, the God of the printers saved the Canon soldier as my printer went right the first time I lit it!!!! Have I dreamt during all these months, in a strange paranoia, that Canon wanted to harm me personaly? I don't think so when I look at all the real bad experience of this U052 error all over the world related in this forum.

I now cross my finger and hope that my MG5350 will not die before I finish my cartridge stock.

And I keep, in the same place, the MP980 I found here and who saved me during 9 months. Just hoping that it will not be the same dreaded U052 wrong printhead error when I will need to turn it on again...

Hope not to come bak to this post ever again and just a word to you all: PERSEVERE!

[shaval123]

This didn't work for me.

[Towboatman]

I ended up buying a New Printer and guess what it was not a Canon. I have also informed family, friends, co-workers of this and encouraged them to not buy Canon Products. I was denied the class action because i had no proof of purchase (it being toss out sometime after i purchase the printer).

[gerschwiler]

Well after a year of getting "dreaded call to arms" emails I thought I would check on any new contributions answers etc

Latest suggestion - did you try washing print head .

that was one of the first things i tried.

My life is too short to waste YEARS trying to fix a product with a design fault.  My life has moved on.

The Canon MP600R was great until it reached a certain age then inexplicably it stopped working as tho programmed to do so..  So did my friend's Canon MP600R etc  at same age.  He threw his away after trying all sensible attempts to get it working.  After more than a year I am about to do same with my Canon. Canon scanners eg 9000 seem ok although user interface could be better  eg manual cropping before main scan - but I am now reluctant to buy another Canon product.

[wendybrandon]

this has happened to me. Followed the canon instructions to reset in the printhead to no avail. I got this message when I was trying to scan, didn't need to print anyway... at this point, it's a weekend so no support available.

[ITgreybeard]

Wendy, have you tried the printhead washing method that I posted in the last week or so? You will find it immediately above your own post. Perhaps it will work for you.  ITG