Garage door cable repair
Garage door cable repair costs $140 to $260 and takes 45 to 60 minutes. A door hanging lower on one side has lost cable tension and must not be operated — running it can pull the door out of its tracks entirely.
- Typical cost
- $140–260
- Time on site
- 45–60 min
The cable should sit wound in the drum's grooves. Once it jumps out, that side of the door has nothing holding it up — which is why the door goes crooked and why you should stop using it.
Why a crooked door is urgent
The lift cables carry the door's weight from the drums at each end of the torsion shaft. When one comes off its drum or snaps, that side loses support and drops.
Operating the door from there drags it diagonally through the tracks. What starts as a $180 cable repair becomes bent tracks, creased panels, and often a full door replacement at $1,200 or more. Stop using it and use the emergency release.
What causes cables to fail
Fraying at the bottom bracket, where the cable is exposed to moisture off the garage floor. This is the most common failure point and it is visible if you look.
Slack from a broken spring. When a spring goes, the cable can jump off the drum on the next cycle — which is why a spring failure and a cable problem often arrive together.
Misaligned drums or worn bearings letting the cable wind unevenly and eventually slip off.
Corrosion in coastal and high-humidity areas, which shortens cable life noticeably.
Should you do this yourself?
No. Cables are under the same tension as the springs that drive them, and re-seating a cable on a drum requires locking the door and controlling spring tension safely. A slipped cable under load behaves like a whip.
Symptoms that lead here
Common questions
Why is my garage door crooked on one side?
A cable has come off its drum or broken on the low side. The door has lost support there. Do not operate it — running the opener can pull the door fully out of its tracks and bend the sections. Repair runs $140 to $260.
Should garage door cables be replaced in pairs?
Yes. Both cables have taken the same load over the same number of cycles. Replacing one leaves you likely to repeat the visit within a year, and the labor is already paid for.
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