Broken Garage Door Spring: What to Do Right Now
Broken Garage Door Spring: What to Do Right Now
Heard a loud bang and now your garage door won’t budge? Here’s exactly what to do in the next few minutes, and what not to do.
Step 1: Stop Trying to Open the Door
Don’t press the opener button again, and don’t try to lift the door manually. Without spring tension, the door is extremely heavy, often 150-400+ pounds, and can drop suddenly if forced.
Step 2: Confirm It’s Actually the Spring
- A loud bang right before the door stopped working
- A visible gap in the coil of the torsion spring above the door
- The door feels far heavier than usual if you try to lift it slightly
- The opener strains or grinds but the door doesn’t move
Step 3: Get Your Car Out Safely, If You Need To
If your car is trapped inside and you need it, most openers have a manual release cord (usually a red handle hanging from the trolley rail). Pulling this disconnects the door from the opener so you can lift it by hand — but with a broken spring, the door will be very heavy. This is a two-person job at minimum, and only attempt it if you’re confident you can control the door’s weight. If in doubt, wait for a technician.
Step 4: Secure the Space
If the door is stuck partially open, treat it as a security gap until it’s repaired. Keep kids and pets away from the door itself — never let anyone go underneath a door that’s held up only by the opener or propped in place.
Step 5: Call for Same-Day Repair
Spring replacement is usually a same-day fix once a technician is on-site with the correctly sized spring for your door. See our full spring repair page for cost ranges and more detail on torsion vs. extension springs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a broken garage door spring an emergency?
It’s urgent if it leaves your garage insecure or traps a vehicle you need. Otherwise, it can typically wait for same-day (not necessarily instant) service, as long as no one attempts to force the door open.
Can I drive my car out if the spring is broken?
Only if you can safely manually lift the door using the opener’s release cord, and even then, expect it to be very heavy. If you’re not confident doing this safely, wait for a technician.
Will the opener be damaged if I keep pressing the button?
Yes, repeatedly trying to open a spring-broken door can burn out the opener motor, turning a spring repair into a spring-plus-opener repair. Stop pressing the button once you suspect a broken spring.