Thousands of popular "Jitterbug" mobile phones manufactured by Samsung are now being recalled because the phone is unable to connect to the 911 service if it goes out of range, government regulators are now saying.  

The Jitterbug is designed specifically for elderly people to have a phone that doesn't have a lot of features and is easy to use.  It would display an "out of range" message to any phone owner who went out of range and into a no-service area.  It seems just a software update is needed to fix the problem, and Jitterbug customers are able to visit Best Buy service centers to see how to best address the issue.

All phones are designed to be able to reach the nearest 911 call center even if the phone is out of range and unable to place normal phone calls.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines regarding 911 make it a necessity for the phone's signal to bounce off a local service provider's communication tower.

The troublesome phones were purchased between March 2008 and May 2009, and have either the SPH-a110 or SPH-a120 phone model using the BB14 version software.

"This is an issue that would only happen in remote rural areas that don't have normal coverage," Jitterbug CEO David Inns said.  "This is not an issue where they need to panic or worry."

Samsung is working alongside the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall up to 160,000 of the phones.  Samsung is contacting phone owners individually, though provided a phone number -- 866-304-4980 -- if some customers haven't been contacted already.

Samsung hasn't heard any reports of Jitterbug owners not being able to reach 911 during an actual emergency.