Garage door shakes or judders as it opens
This is almost always a uneven spring tension, or worn rollers. Repair costs $150 to $400 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes, but book it.
Check this first — it may cost you nothing
Disconnect the opener and lift by hand. A juddering hand-lift points at the door; a smooth one points at the opener or its rail.
Why this happens
A door should rise smoothly. Juddering means something is uneven — usually spring tension differing side to side, or rollers that no longer roll consistently.
Shaking is the system out of tune — uneven spring tension, worn rollers or loose track working against each other rather than one clean fault.
Less likely, but possible
- Rollers with failed bearings dragging rather than rolling
- A loose or stretched chain on the opener
- Mismatched springs, common where one was replaced alone
What happens if I ignore it?
Uneven load wears the track, cables and opener unevenly, and mismatched springs mean the newer one is doing more work and will fail early too.
The repair: 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.
Read the full spring repair guide →Get a tech dispatched
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