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.

[Mamagull]

You give us hope!

[johnmd50]

Suggestion re checking Print heads to see if Bent may work for some and obviously I hope it does. The fact is though that there are so many posts where no Fixes work, that the main issue is clearly an error in the software which reports the Problem, and prevents ANY fourther use of the Printer.My latest communication from Canon advises 1) the Settlement of the Class Action Suit in US does not have any bearing on UK Market, and 2) they have offered 20% off price on any Printer purchased from theit own site, with a Code to action, but cannot be used with any offer already available;  (thay have £30 discounts on some of range). The 20% is worthless, the discount only reduces the price to that available through most Shops and on-line retailers.

The offer is I suggest tacit acceptance they know it is a problem. Does anyone know if there is a UK equivalent to US Class Action Law Suit? Canon obviously only respond to legal action, widespread dissatisfaction and a very bad reputation in the Market place doesn't bother them at all.

[dfg818]

This printer was perfectly fine until this message.  I have tried all the recommended solutions and looked into replacing the printer head and I see prices ranging from $300+ and $40.  I am skeptical of any other brand than Canon and don't need to waste money if it isn't going to solve the issue.  Has anyone successfully replaced the printhead and solved the issue with the U052 error?  

[rwsnc]

I bought an MG6800 Canon printer new for less than $50, partially because it used the same printhead and partially because I still have several unused ink cartridges that I wasn't ready to throw away.  I swapped print heads and got the same message.  I'm convinced that this problen can not and WILL not be fixed by Canon.  Don't waste your time or money trying to replace the print head. It still won't work. Good luck.

[RobbMcRobb]

I was about to buy an MX922 printer this week, as it received great reviews from several sources.  But after discovering this crazy printhead error that seems to be common in many of Canon's printer models, I'M GONNA PASS.
I've used Canon cameras for ages, and haven't had significant issues.  But man....HEY CANON!  FIX YOUR PRINTHEAD ISSUE INSTEAD OF PASSING THE HASSLE ONTO YOUR CUSTOMERS!!!  

Seriously.....I'm so glad I came across this forum thread.  Shame on you, Canon.
There's no way I'm gonna take a chance with your printers.

[tezzaando]

I always buy Cannon Printers. This may need to change. I have a Multifunction unit MG6250 without runnijg out of ink or changing anything it had this U052 Wrong Print Head error. I did exactly what the cannon sight said and nothing changed. If I try to clean the print head (looks ok but I'll try anything now) then see if that works. Printers are cheap enough if this doesn't work I'm buying another brand.

[Jim_Way]

Canon Pixma MX850 - Cleaning printheads and error came up on second test page.

[P_Rapley]

I've replaced my Pixma with an Epson.

[Kimi01]

MP530. Followed reset procedures many times. When it does work, printer prints a couple pages then locks up again with same error message. I do not see any recent solutions or actions posted. Are we contacting Canon individually?

[KBeck]

When this first happened a few years ago, after Canon had pushed out the initial firmware update that bricked printers with this error, but before the class action lawsuit got started, Canon actually offered a few of us new printers to replace the dead ones, so long as we returned the faulty ones. I, for one, got that offer. But by that time I had thoroughly lost my temper with what had been my favorite printer. I had gone so far as to completely disassemble the thing.. not so crazy when I point out that my day job is troubleshooting random hunks of busted telecom gear right down to the 0402 resistors. In any case, disconnecting and reconnecting every blame wire I could find didn't change things and getting it all back together again, without manuals, was a bear. But having that stupid error pop back up again was a bit much, since the timing of the error message and that "upgrade" was just too much of a coincidence.. I took it out back and took a sledgehammer to it, dumped the remains in the town electronics recycle center, and recycled the paperwork into the paper recycle bin.
A couple months later I got the new printer offer, but, natch, the dead one was very much gone.
The lawyers did their class action bit, got paid millions to go away, and those of us lucky enough to have original receipts from a decade previous (by that time) got a $20 or two.
Since the settlement closed off further plaintiffs past, present, and future, nobody gets anything from Canon except offers at some small discount off of full list price, said discount not being as much as one can get off of new Canons direct from Amazon or Newegg.
I wish to heck and gone that the FTC would go after Canon, since, in my opinion, it's pretty clear that they're purposely bricking working printers in order to create some sales, just like that car window repairman who used to wander the streets of Brooklyn a few back busting out windshields with a crowbar. Not every victim of this idiot went to his shop to get his window fixed, but enough did to make it a worthwhile proposition. Eventually a new-at-the-time surveillance camera caught him in the act and the Brooklyn D.A. and an outraged public saw to it that he spent a few years in the state pen. Which, frankly, I feel that the perps who came up with this scheme at Canon should be doing. It'd be fun to see what discovery by those class action lawyers had come up with, but that stuff is likely sealed by the idiot judge.
KBeck