How to Tell If Your Garage Door Spring Is Broken

How to Tell If Your Garage Door Spring Is Broken

Your garage door spring plays a critical role in lifting and lowering the door smoothly. When it breaks, your entire system can come to a sudden stop — and trying to operate the door can be dangerous.

Knowing how to identify the signs of a broken garage door spring early can help you avoid accidents, prevent further damage, and call for professional repair before it’s too late.

Here’s how to tell if your garage door spring is broken and what steps to take.

1. The Garage Door Won’t Open (or Opens Only a Few Inches)

Sign: You press the opener button, and the door struggles or refuses to move.

Why it happens: Springs are what actually lift the heavy door, not the motor. When a spring breaks, the opener can’t handle the full weight of the door on its own.

What to do:
Stop using the opener immediately. Forcing it could burn out the motor. Call a garage door technician to safely replace the spring.

2. You Hear a Loud “Bang” from the Garage

Sign: Many homeowners describe hearing a sudden, loud snap or bang even when the door isn’t being used.

Why it happens: When a spring breaks under tension, it releases a lot of stored energy — often resulting in a sharp noise.

What to do:
Inspect the area from a safe distance. Never touch or try to reattach a broken spring yourself — it’s under high tension and can cause serious injury.

3. The Door Looks Crooked or Uneven

Sign: One side of the door appears higher than the other, or the door moves unevenly when opening.

Why it happens: If your door has extension springs, one may have snapped while the other is still working.

What to do:
Do not try to balance the door yourself. Uneven tension can damage the tracks, cables, or opener. Call a professional repair service for proper spring replacement and adjustment.

4. The Garage Door Feels Heavy or Falls Quickly

Sign: When you try to lift the door manually, it feels unusually heavy or slams shut when released.

Why it happens: Broken springs can’t support the door’s weight, causing it to drop unexpectedly — a serious safety hazard.

What to do:
Never continue operating the door. Disconnect the opener and schedule emergency garage door repair immediately.

5. The Spring Has a Visible Gap or Is Stretched Out

Sign: Upon visual inspection, you notice a 2–3 inch gap in the torsion spring or a coil that looks separated.

Why it happens: The metal fatigues over time and eventually snaps, leaving a visible break in the coil.

What to do:
Take a photo and share it with your technician for faster diagnosis. Do not try to replace it yourself—torsion springs are tightly wound and require specialized tools.

Safety Warning

Garage door springs are under extreme tension and can cause severe injury if handled improperly. Even experienced DIYers should avoid attempting repairs.

Always call a licensed garage door repair specialist to handle spring replacements safely and correctly.