What’s wrong with your garage door?
Pick what you’re seeing. We’ll tell you the likely cause, whether it’s safe to check yourself, and whether to repair or replace.
Loud bang, door won’t lift
Often a broken spring
Door is crooked or off track
Rollers, track or cable
Opener hums but nothing moves
Spring or opener gear
Door reverses before closing
Usually the safety sensors
Remote or keypad stopped working
Often a quick fix
Noisy, jerky or shaking
Wear and lubrication
Heard a loud bang? Don’t try to lift the door by hand or keep pressing the opener. With a broken spring the door is extremely heavy, and springs and cables are under high tension. This is a job for a trained technician.
New door? Get a price range in 30 seconds
Pick your size, material and opener to see a typical installed price. Then compare real quotes from local installers.
Repair or replace?
Usually repair
- One broken spring or cable
- Worn rollers or a noisy track
- Sensor, remote or opener faults
- Door is fairly new and otherwise sound
Worth a replacement quote
- Dented, rusted or warped panels
- Repeated repairs on an old door
- No insulation in an attached garage
- You’re in a hurricane zone without a wind-rated door
Florida homeowners
Your garage door counts towards the hurricane grant
Wind-rated garage doors are part of “opening protection” under My Safe Florida Home, alongside windows and exterior doors. See what you could save.
Hands-on guides
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Garage Door Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Door for Your Home
A new garage door is one of the few home projects you’ll see every single day, and one of the few that tends to…
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How to Open Your Garage Door When the Power Is Out
Every automatic garage door opener has a manual release, usually a red cord with a handle hanging from the opener rail. Federal safety rules…
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Is Your Garage the Weak Spot in Your Home Security?
Plenty of homeowners put a deadbolt on the front door and then leave the garage, with a door straight into the house, protected by…
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Wind-Rated Garage Doors: What the Ratings Mean
What does a garage door wind rating mean? How to read the label, what design pressure and impact rating mean, and what inspectors check.
Who writes these guides
Ben Johnson has researched and written home-improvement guides for American homeowners since 2006, including a window replacement site he built up and sold. Every guide is checked against manufacturer instructions and national cost data, and safety advice errs on the side of calling a pro. How we make money
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