Garage door the door sits crooked in the opening
This is almost always a cable tension differs side to side. Repair costs $140 to $300 and takes 45 to 60 minutes. Safe to operate: No.
Check this first — it may cost you nothing
Measure the gap at both bottom corners with the door closed. A difference of more than about half an inch means the cables need re-setting.
Why this happens
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.
A door sitting crooked has uneven cable tension side to side. It will still run — badly — while it wears the tracks and rollers unevenly.
Less likely, but possible
- A drum set screw slipping on the shaft
- One cable stretched more than the other
- A broken spring on a two-spring door unloading one side
What happens if I ignore it?
The low corner takes load it was not designed for, wearing that track and eventually pulling a roller out of it. Running it crooked is what converts a cable adjustment into a track repair.
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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