---
kind: "section"
citation: "49 C.F.R. § 215.123"
title: "49"
number: "215.123"
heading: "Defective couplers."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/49/215.123"
---

# §215.123. Defective couplers.


A railroad may not place or continue in service a car, if—

- (a) The car is equipped with a coupler shank that is bent out of alignment to the extent that the coupler will not couple automatically with the adjacent car;
- (b) The car has a coupler that has a crack in the highly stressed junction area of the shank and head as shown in the figure below (see figure 2).
- (c) **The car has a coupler knuckle that is broken or cracked on the inside pulling face of the knuckle.**
- (d) **The car has a knuckle pin or knuckle thrower that is—**
  - (1) Missing; or
  - (2) Inoperative; or
- (e) **The car has a coupler retainer pin lock that is—**
  - (1) Missing; or
  - (2) Broken; or
- (f) **The car has a coupler with any of the following conditions—**
  - (1) The locklift is inoperative;
  - (2) The coupler assembly does not have anticreep protection to prevent unintentional unlocking of the coupler lock; or
  - (3) **The coupler lock is—**
    - (i) Missing;
    - (ii) Inoperative;
    - (iii) Bent;
    - (iv) Cracked; or
    - (v) **Broken.**

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 20102-03, 20107, 20171; 28 U.S.C. 2461; and 49 CFR 1.89.

### Source

Source: 44 FR 77340, Dec. 31, 1979, unless otherwise noted.