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.

[macnicol]

Took mine to an authorized Canon printer repair facility for evaluation.  They inofrmed me that it had nothing to do with the print head.  If I can recall it correctely, the problem is connected to an ink sump that is used for head cleaning and that when it gets full this is the misleading and incorrect message that is displayed.

There is NO reason that the rest of the multi-function printer can not be used; i.e. scanner.  Yes, this error could be corrected with a software or firmware update but Canon does not have an economic incentive to do it since, up to now, this has increased Canon printer sells.  Now that the user community has been awakened maybe Canon will realize that a solution has to be provided.

The reported replacement of defective printers is a first step although I was contacted but have not received a replacement printer yet.

I have been a loyal Canon printer user for over a decade and currently have 4 Canon printers in operation within the family.

For photo printing and scanning the Canon Pixma MP960 and its successors are the best of the breed from all vendors.  I would not like to have to change vendors because Canon stonewalls its users on this issue.

[mfmay001]

Canon MP640

Was printing fine and then it started not printing very well and the next thing I get is wrong printhead error.  I can't get pass that screen to try to do anything.  I'm stuck.  Very frustrating...unless Canon helps in fixing this problem...I will not buy a Canon again.

[jacknohe]

My MP610 just started displaying the U052 error. I know its well out of warranty... but... its still very annoying since it won't even let me scan.

I'm now looking for a replacement. Anything but Canon. Any recommendations?

[ac_inhb]

Hi all. I have an MX700 and I'm at my wits end. I needed this to print documents for tax season and literally had to look for a 24 hour kinkos type place to print my docs. I didnt get to post until now due to bandwidth issues. I tried all the recommended fixes and nothing worked. Sign me up for the class action. This literally costed me hours of sleep and emotion. Canon better do something to make this right......

[Sculptorini]

Dear All

I have a solution of sorts for the MP610, trouble is I've had to do this a number of times, but have managed to get the documents I needed, printed.

Basically I pressed the OK  and the on/off buttons at the same time, then switched it back on again doing the same thing. It did come back on and worked , I got the documents printed and then I'm afraid the UO52 message appeared again.

So while it is not perfect I did get the work done....so for the time being I'm happy but I reckon I'll be forced to get a new printer soon....and it won't be a Canon!
.

Hope this helps some of you....good luck 

Regards  Sculptorini

[Geomath]

I wish I could repeat this one on my MP610 but cannot.
Maybe it was a job that was in the buffer.
I do need a new printer.
I would have gone for a MX925 - but it's made by Canon.
Back to Google I suppose.

[fc02139]

Sculptorini,

Can you give more details on how you bypass the U052 error?

I have a MP610 with the same problem and a Canon rep told me to reseat the print head and press the red stop and on/off buttons 20 times (while unplugged) but it didn't work.

Thanks!

[JLH]

They replaced my defective printer several weeks ago with model MG6420.

[RenuNergy]

I also received a replacement Canon MG6420 for my previously defective Canon MG5320 that one day decided it was time to trigger the built in obsolescence feature and display the suspicious U052 error..  However I have not turned it on since I've received it.  Simply because I've lost my faith in Canon as a Printer Manufacturer and I had already purchased a Epson Workforce Printer as I've stated earlier.

Canon is reading these post and I have been contacted to obtain my opinion about their customer service. As I keep receiving notifications of additional former Canon loyalist receiving this problem, my overal opinion of Canon's Printer division continues to spiral downward.  I guess I was hoping that they would resolve this issue and simply sending out a few replacement printers isn't going to do the trick.

This U052 flaw is a major headache for Canon and it seems like they're going to length to deny that its a catastrophic problem. 

Let's see $149/printer every 12-18 months, $54.99 for replacement ink cartridges every few of months. Extract the manufacturing cost; ~$50 for the printer, $6 for the ink cartridges (all 4) and multiple that by the millions who purchase the ink and the replacement cartridges and Canon is rolling in money.  The one factor that was omitted was the human factor and the exponential influence of the internet.

My recently acquired Epson has been working perfectly and I'm only at odds with the fact that maybe a Brother Printer would have been a more reliable long term purchase.  I saw a Canon Printer today while I was out shopping and you know that strange feeling you get in the stomach when you see a former love-interest who jilted you; that was the feeling I had.

I felt sad for the lonely Canon Printer and a distaste in my mouth.  I walked by and shook my head thinking to myself how stupid could they be. 

[stuffed1printer]

Living in Perth, Western Australia, I know Canon will not replace my MP610.However being in the worlds most isolated city doesn't prevent me from voicing my opinion to a large audience. I put up with no colour printer for a few weeks....using the wife's mono laser Brother which never skips a beat. I eventually saw an older HP 7180 multifunction for free on a site. I grabbed it and have got it going, wireless and Bluetooth, negative scanner etc.The print counter says it has done 16500 prints [bet a Canon cannot do that!] and the prints are great quality, equal to the Canon. So I am a happy printer again but wary of the whole home printer world. Best to keep as close to an industrial model or maker as possible seems to be the trick. Running the HP7180 on Windows 7 64 bit so the software is still up with the current OS. If anybody is still a Canon fan, I suggest they get a stand alone printer [no scanner or bells and whistles], don't buy ink in advance and expect to dump it within 2 years, and keep taking those pills!