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
Philips HD3479 oil heater recalled in Japan for smoke/fire risk from production defects
Safety risk
This finding came from the search 'Philips HD3479 recall'. Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency recall database lists the Philips HD3479 oil heater (JAN 87 10103 094029, 4,037 units, sold 1998/08–1999/12) among the HD3477/3478/3479 models recalled because defective units mixed in during early production could rarely emit smoke or catch fire during long-term use. The same record notes an actual fire occurred that burned the product (製品を焼損する火災が発生).
What to check. Do not use a Philips HD3479 oil heater. Philips' recall center offers free inspection/repair or disposal; the unit is decades old and the recall is a documented fire hazard.
Philips Japan official recall notice for HD3477/3478/3479 oil heaters
Philips Japan's own recall page confirms HD3479 is one of the three recalled oil heater models. It instructs owners of untreated units to stop use immediately and contact the recall center for free pickup/inspection.
What to check. The manufacturer itself confirms the fire risk and asks owners to stop using the unit. For a TR/EU buyer this is the authoritative confirmation that HD3479 carries a real fire hazard, and Philips offers free inspection/repair/collection.
Philips itself warns HD3479 owners to stop use immediately and request free inspection
This finding came from the search 'Philips HD3479 recall'. Philips' own Japanese recall page names HD3477/HD3478/HD3479, confirms the smoke/fire risk from production-stage defective units, and tells owners of untreated units to stop using them immediately and contact the free recall line (0120-666-105) for free inspection/collection.
What to check. The manufacturer itself instructs owners to stop using the HD3479 immediately. Contact Philips' recall center for free inspection, repair, or disposal support.
METI recall notice: HD3479 target units and remedy
METI's official recall notice (dated 2001-10-16) lists HD3479 (JAN 87 10103 094029, 1,344 units) and gives the remedy as free inspection and repair. It independently confirms the same fire/smoke risk.
What to check. This is a second independent regulator source confirming the fire hazard and the free remedy. It corroborates the CAA and Philips records, so the finding is well established across multiple official sources.
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.
