Samsung Phones Recalled, May Fail to Call 911 in Emergencies

About 160,000 Samsung “Jitterbug” cell phones are being recalled because they may fail to connect to emergency 911 when an out-of-range message appears on the phone.

The phones, sold by Samsung Telecommunications America of Richardson, Texas, are model numbers SPH-a110 and SPH-a120 with standard key pads and version BB14 software. Other Samsung cell phones and software versions are not affected by the recall, officials said.

When they are in a no-service area and display a message reading “out of range, try again later,” the recalled phones may fail to connect to 911 when it is dialed in an emergency, officials said. Wireless phones must be able to reach 911 even when they are out of a coverage area and unable to make or receive standard calls.

The Samsung phones were sold nationwide and on the Internet at www.jitterbug.com from March 2008 to May 2009 for about $150, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Consumers who own a recalled Samsung Jitterbug phone are being contacted by the company to schedule a free software upgrade designed to fix the 911 access problem. Owners who have not yet heard from Samsung should contact the company to arrange a free upgrade, the CPSC said.

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