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.

[whitexplorer]

I have a same issue with MG5320. If I get a new head, will it fix the issue?

[Aardvark]

Your question has been answered many times in the previous 80+ pages.  NO

A new printer head will be a waste of money.  And contacting Canon themselves will be a waste of time.

[DonnaB]

I have error U052 on my MG5220 and naturally I just ordered $80 worth of ink......

[TonyB]

Despite what Aardvark tells you, a cheap replacenment printhead worked for me.  See page 86 for details.  I have put almost 500 sheets through the printer since, so it has worked just fine for me.  More effective than e-mailing Canon, or than changing to another brand, likely to be just as problematic.

It cost me very little to get my MX870 working again, to use the 2 bulk packs of cartridges i had just bought.

No guarantee that this will work for anyone else, but it did for me.

Tony B

Hobart, Tasmania

[vavesmp500]

I too had this problem, and tried the reseating of the head twice... turned off for days and then tried again only to have the same message. This is rediculous, I cannot scan because of a faulty head alert... I also went out and bought new ink cartridges hoping to override and clean the heads or do some kind of maintenance that would help but that did nothing.  I have an MP 500 all-in-one. It has been a great machine but the fact that the whole thing gets bogged down with no way of override is a total manufacturer error.

IS THERE ANY WORK AROUND??

[TonyB]

Replacing the printhead, $US30 post free out of HongKong on e-bay restored all functions for me.

Tony B
Hobart, Tasmania

[Wlaci]

You can add an MG5100 to the list.

I have had the appliance for 2 years, was about to instrall my 3rd set of cartridges, so you can imagine how much I have been using it, when U052 hit me. I can hear some weird clicking noise like 3 times when the cart is being moved at startup, but physically everything seems to be in order. I tried all the possible fixes circulated in these forums, nothing works, and of course I cannot even use the scanner, because you cannot skip the error message.

I paid 80EUR for printing 300 pages? That doesnt sound like a proper deal.

I say sue them every way you can, otherwise they will never start caring again.

For the life of me I cant explain why I didnt go for HP and now Im stuck with this piece of crap.

[cfOH]

What I don't understand is why an incorrect print head error would keep me from being able to use the scanning functions. That's what I used mostly anyway.

And yes, I said used, as in past-tense. I replaced the printer with a non-Canon unit. Bye, Canon.

[Wlaci]

would you mind pointing me to that seller you bought the cheap replacement from?

mine is a MG5100, kinda doubt I will find a printing head for 30USD, heck i couldnt even establish the product number of the printing head i need, so i need to click on every advertisement for a canon printhead.

although you can buy this junk second hand at 32-35 EUR here now, except i wont know how badly the parts are worn.

mine is at least a safe bet.

my next printer will not be a canon that's already a given.

[Wlaci]

by the way, has canon ever responded to a mass outrage like this?

i mean at least they could say they are sorry, and that they are firing their old engineers for their next series or something. if they cant fix this by firmware.

taking away the scanning function like this that has mechanically nothing to do with printing is in my oppinion a huge violation of consumer law.