Broken Garage Door Spring: 5 Warning Signs

Published October 22, 2026

Garage door springs counterbalance the door's weight so the opener only has to guide it. When a spring fails, the signs are usually obvious.

Warning signs

1. A loud bang from the garage with no obvious cause.
2. A visible gap in the coil of a torsion spring above the door.
3. The door feels very heavy or won't stay up when lifted by hand.
4. Loose or dangling cables at the sides of the door.
5. The opener strains, lifts the door a few inches, then stops or reverses. Chamberlain/LiftMaster openers may flash an "excessive force" error in this situation.

What not to do

DASMA, the door industry's trade association, says: if a spring is broken, don't operate the door until the spring is replaced, and don't try to remove, repair, or adjust springs, cables, or brackets, because they're under high tension (DASMA TDS-167).

Monthly check

The CPSC suggests inspecting the door and opener every 30 days and testing the safety reverse with a 2x4 laid flat in the door's path (CPSC).

Helpful gear

Product categories only. We have not tested specific products and these are not links to buy.

• Garage door lubricant & maintenance kits: for routine lubrication of rollers and hinges (never the springs' mounting hardware).

Broken spring? See spring repair or call (585) 565-6320.

Last updated October 25, 2026