# Cracks in the fifth wheel plate — Vehicle inspection defect categories: MOT major, minor and dangerous verdicts

For Cracks in the fifth wheel plate, category is Reject; inspection item number is 2; defect reference is a.(4)(e); inspection item is Coupling devices; authority is US 49 CFR Appendix A to Part 396, recorded from its source on 2026-08-06.

- **Defect:** Cracks in the fifth wheel plate _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Category:** Reject
- **Inspection item number:** 2
- **Defect reference:** a.(4)(e)
- **Inspection item:** Coupling devices
- **Authority:** US 49 CFR Appendix A to Part 396 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> (e) Cracks in the fifth wheel plate.

## Source

- https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/appendix-A_to_part_396

Last verified: 2026-08-06. Review by: 2027-02-02.
Part of [Vehicle inspection defect categories: MOT major, minor and dangerous verdicts](https://referencesource.org/vehicle-inspection-defect-categories/).