Garage door closes fully then immediately opens again
This is almost always a close-force set too low, or the down-limit set too far. Repair costs $125 to $300 and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.
Check this first — it may cost you nothing
Watch closely as it lands. If it touches down and then reverses, it is force or limit. If it reverses before touching, it is the photo-eye sensors instead.
Why this happens
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.
The door reached the floor, then reopened: the opener believed something interrupted the sensors or resisted the door. Check the beam alignment first.
Less likely, but possible
- Photo-eye sensors slightly misaligned, which reverses it earlier in the travel
- A warped bottom section meeting the floor unevenly
- Track binding near the floor adding resistance the opener reads as contact
What happens if I ignore it?
This one is a safety system doing its job, so leaving it is not dangerous. But the door will not stay shut, which means the building is not secure overnight.
The repair: opener repair
Garage door opener repair costs $150 to $400 depending on the fault, and takes 45 to 90 minutes. A stripped drive gear or a failed logic board is a repair; an opener over 15 years old is usually worth replacing instead.
Read the full opener repair guide →Get a tech dispatched
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