A garage door that suddenly won't open is one of the most common — and most stressful — issues homeowners run into, especially when a car is trapped inside. Most of the time the cause is something simple you can safely check yourself before assuming the worst.
Safe checks anyone can do
- Check the opener's power — is it plugged in, and has a breaker tripped?
- Replace the remote's batteries, and try the physical wall button as a separate test
- Look at the photo-eye sensors near the bottom of the tracks — dirt, misalignment, or a spider web can block the safety sensor and stop the door from closing or opening
- Make sure the manual disconnect (the red pull cord on the opener) hasn't been accidentally triggered
- Look for anything visibly blocking the track from outside the door's moving path
Signs it's a bigger issue — stop and call a professional
- The door feels unusually heavy when moved manually, or won't stay open on its own — likely a broken spring
- You hear a loud bang before the door stopped working — almost always a spring
- The door is visibly crooked, off its tracks, or one side is higher than the other
- Cables look frayed, loose, or disconnected from the drum
If the fix turns out to be bigger than expected
Sometimes a stuck door is the first visible sign that the door is nearing the end of its life — worn springs, a tired opener, and a track that's slightly bent from years of use often show up around the same time. If a technician tells you the fix is a bigger job than expected, it's worth getting a real replacement price to compare before committing.
Our wizard gives you an exact installed price for a new door in about two minutes, so you have a real number to weigh against any repair estimate.