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.

[Joel_P]

If you turn it off then turn it back on later sometimes it will let you print a page or two, normally will end up back with the error after a while rigth when you turn it on.

[barbara70]

My MP600 gave me good service until a few weeks ago when it started to only print text in colour, ignoring any black text. I have changed both black cartridges to no avail. Today the printer stopped working altogether and came up with the UO52 wrong printhead message. What now? It did allow me, after I had switched it off and on again to print an align printhead sheet but now only the error message will show. Is it the end for this printer? I was fond of it. I have 17 new ink carteidges in the drawer, silly of me to have had so many inreserve.

[nash123]

I also had lots of spare cartridges when my printer died. I could not sell them, so I turned to craigslist and bought the exact same printer for a very cheap price. I am now able to use those cartridges and still print. I keep the old one for spare parts...

[JohnWPB]

"I turned to craigslist and bought the exact same printer for a very cheap price. I am now able to use those cartridges and still print. I keep the old one for spare parts..."

Good idea... just in case your print head dies LOL!

[CharLee725]

I have an MG 5520 and have the Wrong Printed Error problem and don't know what to do.  I live in Hawaii and am separating from my husband and moving back to California.  I need to print and scan rental applications for places to live back in California but I can't.  I have a friend that has a printer but it doesn't scan so I thought no problem, just because I can't print at least I can scan.  No.  I don't want to buy a new printer here at a higher price than on the mainland that I would then have to pay to ship.  So now I have to go to Office Max to pay for what I should be able to do on my "scanner".  By the way, there is nothing wrong with my printhead.

[CharLee725]

Canon thinks that the people who buy it's printers are idiots.  Put a defect in the software that causes the printer to become unuseable so that consumers will have to buy a new printer every 15-24 months or so no matter how much you use the printer, the type of ink you use, etc.  I have an MG5520.  Worked beautifully.  Then out of nowhere it just stops.  Says that the printhead that has been the right one is now the wrong one.  How does that happen?  Does my printer have some kind of autoimmune infection?  Didn't know that could happen to inanimate objects.  But it appears Canon thinks we don't know that.  I have always thought Cannon was a very trustworthy brand.  I bought my printer because it was a Canon.  I live in Hilo Hawaii and we have Sears, Target and Walmart to choose from as places to go for computers and accessories.  Most we can't order online because they have lithium batteries and if we can order them online shipping is so outrageous it is not worth it.  So all we have to go on is brand to rely on at these kind of stores.  Big mistake thinking Canon was a good one.  I have done some research and it looks like i will be replacing my useless Cannon with a Brother.  Thanks for nothing Cannon except for wasting my time and money.  

[CharLee725]

Add PIXMA MG5522 to the list

[CharLee725]

I honestly think they want to hide the evidence.  People start talking class action suit which means bad publicity and so they suddenly say we will send you a new printer and you send us back the old one.  They won't look at your printer.  They have all the coding and hardware at the factory already.  They don't need our printers to see what went wrong.  They just want us to send the printers back so that if a class action suit is ever done, guess what, those who took advantage of the printer replacement can't be a part of it because you already settled unless your new printer failed too.  I am new so I have not read all the posts so this may have already have been brought out, but that is how big business works.  Keep the consurmer quiet and happy so they don't get bad publicity and can avoid a lawsuit.

[PawPrint]

Add my MG5320 to the 127 pages of dead Canon printers due to error U052. I am really angry about this. No reason to find out that this has been an issue for years! 

[shaval123]

I hope not. That was what I got to replace my Pixma 5520 before I knew better. One printer with cursed U052 was enough. If my 5520 does that now i will toss it through Canon's window!