Garage door spring repair
Garage door torsion spring replacement costs $220 to $580 for a pair, including parts and labor, and takes 60 to 90 minutes. A broken spring makes the door unsafe to operate — the opener cannot lift the weight without it.
- Typical cost
- $220–580
- Time on site
- 60–90 min
A broken torsion spring shows a clean two-to-three-inch gap. The winding cone at the end is where the tension is set — and where the danger is.
How to confirm it is the spring
Look at the steel shaft running horizontally above the door opening. A broken torsion spring shows an obvious gap of two to three inches where the coil separated. Intact springs are tightly wound with no visible space between coils.
If you cannot see the shaft, pull the red emergency release cord and try to lift the door by hand. A door with working springs feels like 10 to 15 pounds and will stay put wherever you leave it. A door with a broken spring feels like 150 to 400 pounds and will slam down if you let go — stop immediately if that happens.
Why springs break when they do
A standard torsion spring is rated for 10,000 cycles. One cycle is one open and one close. A household that opens the door four times a day gets through that in under seven years, which is why spring failure clusters around year six to eight rather than the ten years people expect.
Cold accelerates it. Every freeze–thaw swing contracts and expands the spring steel, and low temperatures reduce its fracture toughness — so a spring already near the end of its cycle life tends to let go on the first lift of a cold morning rather than during the day.
Coastal humidity and salt air shorten it further. Corrosion raises friction between the coils and causes failure well short of the rated count.
Always replace springs in pairs
If your door has two springs and one broke, replace both. The second spring has taken exactly the same number of cycles and is at the same point of fatigue — it will typically fail within months.
Replacing one also leaves the door unbalanced, which puts uneven load on the opener, the cables and the track. The labor is already paid for on the first spring; the second is mostly parts cost.
What you should be quoted
A fair quote covers a matched pair of springs, new bearings if the old ones are worn, and a full balance and safety check afterwards. Expect $220 to $580 depending on door weight and spring size.
High-cycle springs rated for 25,000 to 50,000 cycles cost roughly $80 to $150 more and typically last two to three times as long. On a door you open more than four times a day, that is usually the better purchase.
Be cautious of any quote under $150 — it usually signals an undersized spring that will fail early, or a bait price that changes once the technician is at your house.
Should you do this yourself?
Do not attempt this one. A torsion spring stores enough energy to break bones, and it releases all of it at once if a winding bar slips. This is the single most common cause of serious injury in garage door DIY. It is also the repair with the smallest labor component — you are paying mostly for parts and for someone who has done it a thousand times.
Symptoms that lead here
Common questions
Can I use my garage door with a broken spring?
No. Without the spring, the opener is trying to lift 150 to 400 pounds it was never designed to move. You will strip the drive gear or burn out the motor, turning a $300 repair into a $700 one. The door can also fall.
How long does garage door spring replacement take?
60 to 90 minutes for a standard residential door, including winding, balancing and a safety check. It is almost always a same-visit repair.
Why did my spring break in cold weather?
Cold reduces the fracture toughness of spring steel and freeze–thaw cycling fatigues it. A spring already near the end of its 10,000-cycle life will usually fail on the first lift of a cold morning rather than mid-day.
Get a tech dispatched
Tell us what the door is doing and where you are. We'll connect you with a licensed contractor in your area — usually within the hour.
We pass your details to one licensed contractor serving your ZIP. We don't sell your information to multiple companies. Privacy