5 sourced reports, with what to check before you buy. Each one links to the page it was reported on.
3 of these reports describe a fire, explosion or shock risk.
Costly or dangerous
NITE records Philips HD3477/3478/3479 oil heater recall for smoke/fire risk
Safety risk
NITE (Japan's product safety agency) independently records the same recall of the HD3477/HD3478/HD3479 oil heaters, confirming the smoke/fire risk and the free inspection/repair remedy. This is an independent regulator/agency record corroborating the manufacturer and consumer agency notices.
What to check. This independent agency record corroborates the recall. It confirms the affected models and the free inspection/repair remedy, giving an owner a second, independent source to verify the hazard before spending money on a unit or its repair.
Philips HD3478 oil heater recall — production-stage defective unit can smoke/ignite
The Japan Consumer Affairs Agency recall database lists the HD3478 (JAN 87 10103 094012, 9,976 units) among the Philips oil heaters recalled for a smoke/fire risk, and records that a product-burnout fire occurred.
What to check. If you own or are considering a Philips HD3478 oil heater, treat it as a recalled fire-risk unit. Stop using it immediately and contact Philips' recall center for the free inspection/recall. Do not buy a used HD3478 without confirming it has been inspected.
Philips HD3478 oil heater recalled in Japan for smoke/fire risk from production workmanship defect
Safety risk
The Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency recall database lists HD3478 among the recalled Philips oil heaters (9,976 units of HD3478), and records that a fire which burned the product occurred. This is an official regulator recall notice.
What to check. A buyer or owner of a Philips HD3478 should treat this as a documented fire hazard: the unit can rarely emit smoke or ignite during long-term use due to a production-stage workmanship defect. Philips Japan offers free inspection/collection; owners should stop using the unit and contact the recall center. Note the recall covers the Japanese-market version of this model.
Philips Japan confirms free inspection/collection for HD3478 oil heater smoke/fire risk
Safety risk
The manufacturer's own recall page names HD3478 among the three recalled oil heater models and confirms the smoke/fire risk, offering free inspection and collection. This is the manufacturer's own documentation.
What to check. This is the manufacturer's own confirmation of the hazard. Philips' page tells owners to stop using the unit immediately and contact the recall center for free inspection/collection. Because the units are now over a decade old, Philips also flags age-related deterioration as a general concern.
Philips Japan official recall notice — HD3478 owners told to stop use and contact recall center
Philips Japan's own recall page names the HD3478 among the three oil heater models subject to free inspection/recall, and instructs owners to stop using them immediately.
What to check. This is the manufacturer's own confirmation of the fire hazard. The free inspection/recall is the remedy; owners who have not had the unit inspected should stop using it and call the Philips recall center (0120-666-105).
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 Electric space heaters catalog, version 0.1.1, under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license.
