Garage Door Won't Open? Here's What's Actually Wrong
A door that refuses to lift is almost always one of five things — and two of them you can rule out from your driveway in about ninety seconds.
What is causing it
Ranked by how often we actually find each one. Work down the list — the first two or three cover the large majority of cases.
1. A broken torsion spring
The number one cause by a wide margin. Look at the spring on the bar above the door: if there is a two- or three-inch gap in the coil, it has snapped. The opener now has to lift 200+ pounds it was never designed to lift, so it strains, hums, or refuses.
→ Spring replacement — same day, $220–$480.
2. The opener is disconnected
Someone pulled the red emergency release cord, or a power blip left the trolley disengaged. The motor runs and the chain moves, but nothing is attached to the door.
→ Re-engage the trolley: close the door fully, pull the cord toward the door, then run the opener until it clicks back in.
3. No power to the opener
A tripped GFCI, an unplugged unit, or a breaker that went during a storm. More common than anyone expects, and free to check.
→ Check the plug, reset the GFCI outlet, check the breaker panel.
4. The manual lock is engaged
Many doors have a side lock bar or a T-handle lock that someone turned. The door is physically bolted into the track.
→ Look for a lock bar on the inside of the door track and slide it clear.
5. A snapped cable or off-track door
One corner has dropped, the door is racked, and it will not travel. You will usually see a slack cable hanging beside the track.
→ Cable replacement and realignment — $149–$420.
6. A stripped opener gear
The motor runs at full speed and sounds normal but nothing moves, often with a grinding note. The nylon drive gear inside the motor head has shredded.
→ Gear kit replacement — $129–$290, worth doing on any decent unit under ten years old.
What you can safely check yourself
- Check that the opener is plugged in and the GFCI outlet has not tripped.
- Look for a lock bar or T-handle lock engaged on the inside of the door.
- Look at the torsion spring above the door — a visible gap in the coil means it is broken. Stop here and call.
- Try the wall button. If the wall button works and the remote does not, it is a remote or battery issue, not a door issue.
- Pull the red release cord and try lifting the door by hand. If it lifts smoothly, the problem is the opener. If it will not budge, the problem is the springs.
⛔ Where to stop
If the spring is visibly broken, a cable is hanging loose, or the door will not lift by hand — stop. A door with a broken spring weighs what a small motorcycle weighs, and it does not stop falling once it starts.
What it costs to fix in Houston
Most repairs for this problem land in the $89 – $480 range. You get a flat number in writing before we start, and it does not change once we are working. Our full published price book is on the pricing page.
The service that fixes this is Garage Door Repair — $89 – $450, typically 45–90 minutes on site.
Getting it sorted
We hold same-day slots across Greater Houston every day, and we run 24/7 for emergencies. Call (713) 555-0142, tell us what the door is doing, and we will give you a real arrival window plus a good idea of the cost before anybody drives anywhere.
Garage Door Won't Open — questions
Why does my garage door only open a few inches then stop?
Classic broken-spring symptom. The opener has enough force for the first few inches and then meets the full weight of the door. It can also be an obstruction in the track or a safety-reverse force setting that is too tight, but check the spring first.
The opener runs but the door does not move — why?
Either the trolley is disconnected from the door (pull-cord released) or the opener's drive gear has stripped. Look at the trolley while someone presses the button: if the chain moves and the trolley does not, it is the gear.
Can I open the door manually with a broken spring?
Not safely, and not alone. Without spring counterbalance you are lifting the door's full weight, and if it slips it comes down with several hundred pounds of force. Call us and we will get your car out today.
Stop guessing. We will tell you.
Describe the symptom on the phone and we will usually name the cause before we leave the shop.
