camera won't recognize my 11-22mm.

alan brown wrote:

Yesterday I put my 11-22mm on my m5, turned it on and just got a gray screen with the lcd and the evf. So I tried it on my m3 with the same result. The lens seems to seat just fine, no different than in the past. All my other lenses work fine on both cameras.

I tried cleaning the contacts on the lens but to no avail.

Anyone else have this happen with any of the m lenses? If so, is there a solution that doesn't entail sending it to Canon?

Thanks in advance,

An interesting situation.
I can't say I've heard of this before because you should be getting optical data from your camera regardless of whether the lens is functioning or not - especially in Manual Focus Mode. You may need to select the feature in the camera Menu that allows for manual shutter release.
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It sounds like one of the lens contacts might be dirty (or one on your camera body). You might need to gently clean the connection points with something appropriate that won't leave fragments of dust on your sensor. Bluetack or even tape might be the solution if you don't have any Isopropyl alcohol on hand. I see that you have checked the contacts already so that's something we can perhaps ignore for the moment.
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Hard Reset
It's possible you may need to reset your camera. You can reset your camera to default factory settings and you ought to at least try this before sending it to Canon because this is what they will do first thing when it arrives.
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Lens or Sensor?
Since this lens reproduced the same problem with two cameras, it's likey an issue with one of the connections on the lens. There's a very minor possibility that the lens data is missing from the processor inside the lens. But since you say you got a gray screen this lens on both the EVF plus the LCD, I might suggest switching to Manual focus and then back again. Because a grey screen suggests and interruption between the sensor and the camera's image processor. Still, you did say you tried it on two cameras and you got a gray screen. But here's the thing... in Manual Release Mode, the lens can be anything at all... from a cardboard toilet paper tube to a telescope mount with a T-Ring for Canon cameras.... you SHOULD definitely get an image showing up.
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The 11-22mm lens always present an alert on your EOS M camera LCD to tell you to disengage the lens-lock and extend the lens to be able to use it. So there's a transfer of information when this happens just to let your camera know which lens is mounted and that the lens needs to be extended before the shutter release will be enabled. So in some ways, there's definitely a difference between this lens and many others. I don't get those warning with other lenses. Has the lens been exposed to powerful magnetic fields?
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So with these possibilities in mind, I'd be checking to see if the lens cap is still on the lens. And no, I'm not being cheeky. This defect makes no sense to me otherwise. I'll be curious to see what you discover to be the cause. Do a Hard reset. Check the MF option. Then contact Canon and email them to ask for advice... they will respond within 1 or 2 days. If no solution works, send your lens in for assessment. Can't say I've heard of this problem before.