Garage door a cable is hanging loose
This is almost always a the lift cable has come off its drum. Repair costs $140 to $300 and takes 45 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: No.
Check this first — it may cost you nothing
Do not run the opener to test it. Look at both drums at the ends of the shaft above the door — the cable should be wound neatly into the grooves.
Why this happens
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.
A cable off its drum is a door under uneven tension. Do not cycle the opener — each attempt makes the re-seating job bigger.
Less likely, but possible
- A broken spring, which unloads the cable and lets it jump the drum
- A drum set screw that has worked loose on the shaft
- A cable that has snapped at the bottom bracket
What happens if I ignore it?
Running the door with a loose cable pulls it out of the tracks and creases the sections. It is also how a door ends up hanging by one side, which is dangerous to stand under.
The repair: 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.
Read the full cable repair guide →Get a tech dispatched
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