4 sourced reports, with what to check before you buy. Each one links to the page it was reported on.
1 of these reports describe a fire, explosion or shock risk.
Costly or dangerous
Hotpoint tumble dryers recalled for fire risk from fluff contacting heating element (models April 2004–September 2015)
Safety risk
The documented fire risk is fluff contacting the heating element. The recall window ends 30 September 2015, so post-2015 Hotpoint dryers fall outside this recall; the risk applies to 2015 and earlier production.
What to check. If the dryer was made in 2015 or earlier, check the model/serial against the affected list and unplug if unmodified. Post-2015 units are outside this recall window.
UK government ordered recall of up to 500,000 unmodified Hotpoint/Indesit/Creda tumble dryers (June 2019)
The Government instructed Whirlpool to recall 500,000 tumble dryers in June 2019, four years after the fault was first flagged. This is the scale of the documented fire risk for Hotpoint-branded dryers.
What to check. Confirms the fire risk is real and regulator-recognised, with hundreds of fires linked to these machines. Check any Hotpoint dryer made up to 2015.
Whirlpool/Hotpoint recall campaign scope: dryers sold April 2004–October 2015 under Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda
This is the manufacturer's own November 2015 announcement of the corrective campaign, confirming the affected production window (April 2004–October 2015) and brands. It corroborates the recall scope from the manufacturer's side.
What to check. This confirms the manufacturer-side scope of the recall. Post-2015 Hotpoint dryers are outside this documented campaign window.
Which? found 80 of 93 Hotpoint tumble dryers from the period included in the safety alert
80 of 93 Hotpoint dryers from the period were on the affected list, showing the fault was widespread across the Hotpoint range rather than limited to a couple of models.
What to check. A very high share of Hotpoint dryers from the 2004–2015 window were affected; owners should check their specific model.
These reports come from the pages linked under each item: owner forums, repair guides and workshops. They are not a diagnosis of any one unit, and a careful check of the one you are buying still applies.
Text from the Kriko Tumble dryers catalog, version 0.1.1, under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license.
