Question 1

My garage door: loud bang, now it won't lift. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Broken torsion spring. A single loud bang followed by a door that will not lift is a snapped torsion spring in almost every case. The spring counterbalances the door's weight — without it the opener is trying to lift 150 to 400 pounds on its own and will strip its gear or burn out the motor. Repair typically costs $220 to $580 and takes 60 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 2

My garage door: closes partway then reverses. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Safety sensor misalignment or obstruction. A door that starts closing then goes back up is usually the photo-eye sensors near the floor being knocked out of alignment, or a lens that has collected dust. The opener reads the broken beam as an obstruction and reverses, which is the safety system working correctly. Repair typically costs $125 to $300 and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 3

My garage door: one side hangs lower than the other. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Cable off the drum, or a broken lift cable. A door sitting crooked has lost cable tension on the low side. Running the opener from here can pull the door fully out of its tracks, bend the sections, and turn a cable repair into a door replacement. Repair typically costs $140 to $260 and takes 45 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 4

My garage door: opener runs but the door doesn't move. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Disengaged trolley, stripped drive gear, or broken spring. If the motor runs and nothing happens, the trolley may simply be disconnected from the emergency release cord — that is a free fix. If reconnecting does not help, the drive gear has usually stripped, or a spring has broken and the opener cannot move the weight. Repair typically costs $150 to $400 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: Lift by hand to test.

Question 5

My garage door: loud grinding or rattling when it moves. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Worn rollers, dry bearings, or a failing opener gear. Grinding is usually metal rollers that have lost their bearings, or dry hinges and shaft bearings. It is not an emergency, but it accelerates wear on the track and the opener, so the cheap repair becomes an expensive one if it is left. Repair typically costs $130 to $290 and takes 45 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.

Question 6

My garage door: nothing happens when i press the remote. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Dead remote battery, lost programming, or a tripped opener. If the wall button works but the remote does not, it is the remote — battery or programming. If neither works, check that the opener still has power and that the lock button on the wall panel has not been pressed, which disables remotes entirely. Repair typically costs $0 to $190 and takes 20 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 7

My garage door: closes but stops short of the floor. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Close-limit setting, or debris in the track. A door that stops an inch or two short has usually drifted out of its close-limit setting, which tells the opener where the floor is. The other common cause is a small obstruction in the track that the door meets before it reaches the ground. Repair typically costs $125 to $300 and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but it will not seal.

Question 8

My garage door: closes fully then immediately opens again. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Close-force set too low, or the down-limit set too far. If the door touches the floor and then reverses, the opener thinks it hit an obstruction. Either the close-force is set too sensitively, or the down-limit is set past the floor so the door keeps pushing after it lands and the opener reads the resistance as something in the way. Repair typically costs $125 to $300 and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 9

My garage door: opens partway then stops. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Up-limit setting, or the opener straining against friction. A door that stops short on the way up has either had its up-limit drift, or it is meeting enough resistance that the opener's force limit cuts in. On an older opener the second is more common and points at the door rather than the motor. Repair typically costs $130 to $400 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.

Question 10

My garage door: slams shut or closes too fast. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Spring has lost tension, or a cable has failed. A controlled door descends at a steady speed because the springs carry its weight. When it drops fast or slams, the counterbalance is failing — the springs are no longer holding what they should, and the only thing between the door and the floor is the opener. Repair typically costs $220 to $580 and takes 60 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 11

My garage door: drifts down after opening. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Spring tension has fallen below the door's weight. A correctly balanced door stays wherever you leave it. One that creeps down has springs that no longer hold its weight — the same failing counterbalance that eventually shows up as a slam, caught earlier. Repair typically costs $220 to $580 and takes 60 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 12

My garage door: opens on its own. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

A neighbouring remote on the same code, or a stuck wall button. Doors that open unprompted are almost never a fault in the door. Older openers used a small number of fixed codes, so a neighbour's remote can trigger yours. A wall button with a stuck contact does the same thing. Repair typically costs $0 to $190 and takes 20 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 13

My garage door: motor hums but nothing moves. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Failed capacitor, or a seized motor. A hum without movement means the motor is getting power but cannot start turning. On a residential opener that is almost always the starting capacitor, which is a cheap part. Repair typically costs $120 to $300 and takes 45 to 75 minutes. Safe to operate: Lift by hand to test.

Question 14

My garage door: only closes if i hold the button. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Photo-eye sensors are faulted. Holding the button is a deliberate override built into every opener made since 1993. It exists so a door with failed safety sensors can still be closed under constant supervision — which means the sensors, not the opener, are the fault. Repair typically costs $125 to $300 and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 15

My garage door: frozen to the ground in winter. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

The bottom seal is iced to the slab. Water pools at the base of the door and freezes overnight, bonding the rubber seal to the concrete. The door is not broken — it is stuck to the floor, and forcing the opener against that bond is what turns a free problem into a paid one. Repair typically costs $90 to $220 and takes 30 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: Do not force it.

Question 16

My garage door: daylight or a gap under the closed door. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Bottom seal has hardened and taken a flat set. The U-shaped rubber seal in the retainer along the bottom rail compresses to fill the gap. Over time heat hardens it and cold makes it brittle, until it stops springing back and simply sits flat. Repair typically costs $90 to $220 and takes 30 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 17

My garage door: squealing or squeaking when it moves. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Dry rollers, hinges and bearings. Squealing is friction, not damage. The rollers, hinges and shaft bearings need lubrication, and without it the noise is the first sign of wear that eventually costs parts rather than a can of lubricant. Repair typically costs $100 to $250 and takes 45 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 18

My garage door: loud popping or banging as it moves. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Section hinges binding, or the door flexing. A pop as the door changes direction is usually a hinge worn oval and snapping into position under load, or sections flexing against each other because a strut has come loose. Repair typically costs $130 to $320 and takes 45 to 75 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.

Question 19

My garage door: scraping or rubbing sound. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

The door is rubbing the track or the frame. Scraping is metal on metal where it should not be. Either a roller has come out of alignment, the track has shifted, or the door is sitting off-centre in the opening. Repair typically costs $130 to $350 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.

Question 20

My garage door: shakes or judders as it opens. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Uneven spring tension, or worn rollers. A door should rise smoothly. Juddering means something is uneven — usually spring tension differing side to side, or rollers that no longer roll consistently. Repair typically costs $150 to $400 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.

Question 21

My garage door: the chain looks loose or sagging. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Chain tension has slackened. The drive chain stretches over years of use. A loose chain slaps the rail, jerks the door at the start of travel, and eventually jumps the sprocket. Repair typically costs $120 to $280 and takes 30 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.

Question 22

My garage door: burning smell from the opener. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Motor windings or a component overheating. A burning smell from an opener is electrical. Either the motor is straining against a door it cannot move, or a component on the logic board is failing. Both are reasons to cut power rather than keep trying. Repair typically costs $200 to $600 and takes 60 to 120 minutes. Safe to operate: No — unplug it.

Question 23

My garage door: opener light blinks and it will not close. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

The opener is reporting a sensor fault. Blinking is not a bulb problem. Openers use the light to report faults, and a steady blink while refusing to close is almost always the photo-eye circuit reporting that it cannot see across the opening. Repair typically costs $125 to $300 and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 24

My garage door: the outside keypad stopped working. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Keypad battery, or lost programming. Wall-mounted keypads run on their own battery and sit outside in the weather. A keypad that has stopped while the remotes still work is almost always its battery or its pairing, not the opener. Repair typically costs $0 to $190 and takes 20 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 25

My garage door: wall button does nothing, remote works. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Wall-button wiring, or a failed button. When remotes work but the wall button does not, the radio side of the opener is fine. The fault is in the two low-voltage wires running from the button to the motor, or in the button itself. Repair typically costs $120 to $260 and takes 30 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 26

My garage door: a cable is hanging loose. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

The lift cable has come off its drum. A slack cable means that side of the door is no longer supported. The cable should be under tension at all times; visible slack means it has unwound from the drum or the drum has slipped on the shaft. Repair typically costs $140 to $300 and takes 45 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 27

My garage door: a panel is dented or creased. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Impact damage to one or more sections. A dent that has not broken the section usually affects looks rather than function. A crease across the full width is different — it weakens the section and the door begins to flex where it should be rigid. Repair typically costs $250 to $600 and takes 60 to 120 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, if it still runs true.

Question 28

My garage door: rust spots appearing on the door. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Coating failure, usually starting at the bottom section. Steel doors are painted or coated over galvanising. Once that coating is breached — by a stone chip, a scratch, or standing water at the base — moisture reaches the steel and rust spreads under the paint from there. Repair typically costs $130 to $400 and takes 60 to 120 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 29

My garage door: it is far too heavy to lift by hand. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

The springs are broken or badly under-tensioned. A balanced door feels like 10 to 15 pounds by hand regardless of its real weight, because the springs carry the rest. If it feels like the full 150 to 400 pounds, the counterbalance is gone. Repair typically costs $220 to $580 and takes 60 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 30

My garage door: i can see a gap in the spring. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

The torsion spring has snapped. An intact torsion spring is tightly wound with no space between coils. A visible gap of two to three inches is the spring having fractured and unwound slightly at the break — the single most definite diagnosis on this list. Repair typically costs $220 to $580 and takes 60 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 31

My garage door: stuck halfway and will not move either way. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Off-track, or a cable jammed. A door stuck mid-travel has usually jammed rather than lost power. Something is physically preventing movement — a roller out of the track, a cable wound onto the drum wrongly, or an object in the path. Repair typically costs $150 to $400 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 32

My garage door: water getting in under or around the door. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Seal failure, or the slab sloping the wrong way. Water at the base is either a seal that no longer contacts the floor, or a driveway that drains toward the building. The second is common and no bottom seal will fully solve it on its own. Repair typically costs $90 to $350 and takes 30 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Question 33

My garage door: opens more slowly than it used to. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Rising friction, or an opener losing power. Doors do not slow down on their own. Either the door has become harder to move — dry bearings, worn rollers, falling spring tension — or the opener is weakening. The first is far more common. Repair typically costs $130 to $400 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.

Question 34

My garage door: one sensor light is off completely. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Broken sensor wiring, or a failed sensor. A dark sensor is not misaligned — it is not receiving power. Misalignment makes a light blink or change colour; no light at all points at the wiring between the sensor and the opener, or at a dead sensor. Repair typically costs $125 to $300 and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, it will not close unattended.

Question 35

My garage door: opener clicks but nothing happens. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Relay or capacitor fault, or a locked motor. A click without movement is the opener trying to start and failing. The relay is engaging but the motor is not turning, which is usually a capacitor, sometimes a seized gearbox. Repair typically costs $120 to $320 and takes 45 to 75 minutes. Safe to operate: Lift by hand to test.

Question 36

My garage door: the door has come off its track. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

One or more rollers have left the track. A door out of its track is unbalanced and under spring tension at the same time. It is the state where the most injuries happen, because it looks like something you could push back into place. Repair typically costs $150 to $350 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 37

My garage door: will not open on cold mornings only. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Spring steel stiffening, or the opener force set marginal. A door that works all summer and fails on the first cold morning is not a coincidence. Cold thickens the grease in the bearings, stiffens the spring steel, and reduces the margin the opener has been running on all year. Repair typically costs $130 to $400 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.

Question 38

My garage door: the door sits crooked in the opening. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Cable tension differs side to side. A door that closes at an angle has more cable paid out on one side than the other. Left alone the low corner drags in its track and the door works itself further out of square on every cycle. Repair typically costs $140 to $300 and takes 45 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: No.

Question 39

My garage door: noisy at one specific point in the travel. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

A single worn roller, or a damaged section of track. Noise that happens at the same place every cycle is a location problem, not a lubrication problem. Something at that point in the track is damaged, or a roller reaches its worn spot there. Repair typically costs $130 to $290 and takes 45 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.

Question 40

My garage door: the remote only works up close. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Weak battery, or the antenna is compromised. Range loss is gradual and almost always the battery losing voltage or the antenna wire being tucked up rather than hanging down. Both are free to check. Repair typically costs $0 to $190 and takes 20 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.

Loud bang, now it won't lift

One side hangs lower than the other

Slams shut or closes too fast

Drifts down after opening

Burning smell from the opener

A cable is hanging loose

It is far too heavy to lift by hand

I can see a gap in the spring

Stuck halfway and will not move either way

The door has come off its track

The door sits crooked in the opening

Opener runs but the door doesn't move

Loud grinding or rattling when it moves

Closes but stops short of the floor

Closes fully then immediately opens again

Opens partway then stops

Opens on its own

Motor hums but nothing moves

Loud popping or banging as it moves

Scraping or rubbing sound

Shakes or judders as it opens

The chain looks loose or sagging

Wall button does nothing, remote works

Opens more slowly than it used to

One sensor light is off completely

Opener clicks but nothing happens

Will not open on cold mornings only

Noisy at one specific point in the travel

Closes partway then reverses

Nothing happens when I press the remote

Only closes if I hold the button

Frozen to the ground in winter

Daylight or a gap under the closed door

Squealing or squeaking when it moves

Opener light blinks and it will not close

The outside keypad stopped working

A panel is dented or creased

Rust spots appearing on the door

Water getting in under or around the door

The remote only works up close

The two-minute test that tells you most of it

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