Garage Door Won't Open: What's Broken and What It Costs to Fix

A garage door that won't open usually fails in one of five ways, and each has a different price tag. The most expensive is a broken torsion spring at $150–$400 per spring installed; the cheapest is a misaligned safety sensor that often costs $0 if you can wipe a lens and re-align it yourself. The smart move is to spend three minutes diagnosing the symptom before you call anyone — the right pre-call diagnosis cuts the repair bill by 30–50% on average because you avoid trip charges for unrelated problems.

Three-minute diagnostic before you call anyone

Walk to the garage and run this checklist in order. Each step takes 30–60 seconds and rules out a category of problem.

1. Try the wall button (not the remote first). If the wall button works but the remote does not, your problem is the remote, the keypad battery, or the antenna — a $10–$80 fix, not an opener problem.
2. Listen when you press the button. If you hear the opener motor run but the door doesn't move, you have a broken spring or a snapped cable. If you hear nothing, the opener is dead, unplugged, or the safety circuit is interrupted.
3. Look at the springs above the door. A torsion spring is a tight coil mounted on a horizontal shaft above the door opening. If you see a clean gap of 1–3 inches in the middle of the coil, the spring is broken. Extension springs (older homes, mounted along the tracks) snap and visibly hang slack.
4. Check the safety sensors near the floor. Two photo-eye sensors face each other across the bottom of the door opening. If one is misaligned, dirty, or has a blinking LED, the opener will refuse to close — and on many models, refuse to open if the circuit is open. Wipe the lenses and gently nudge them into alignment.
5. Pull the red emergency release cord and try the door by hand. If you can lift the door yourself with two fingers under the bottom, the door is balanced and the problem is opener-side. If the door is heavy and slams down or won't stay up, the spring system is the problem.

What each diagnosis actually costs

Broken torsion spring — $150–$400 installed

By far the most common cause of "door won't open." Springs are rated for cycles (typically 10,000), and a household using the door 4–6 times per day will burn through that rating in 4–7 years. Always replace springs in pairs on dual-spring doors — the surviving spring is usually within months of failure too, and the second service call eats any savings. National range for a pair: $250–$550 installed. See our full spring replacement guide for state-by-state pricing.

Snapped lift cable — $120–$300

Cables run from the bottom of the door up to the drums at the spring shaft. They fray or snap from spring overload (especially after a spring breaks and the cables take the full weight). Replace as a pair. A pro will often replace cables when replacing springs as a $40–$80 add-on; standalone cable replacement is $120–$300.

Bad opener — $200–$650

If the motor whines without moving the door, the gear is stripped (rebuild $100–$200) or the trolley carriage has failed (replace $150–$300). If the motor doesn't run at all and you've confirmed power, the logic board is dead (board $80–$180 + labor $100–$200). For openers older than 12 years, full replacement at $300–$650 with a new belt-drive unit usually beats repair.

Sensor misalignment — $0–$150

The cheapest possible fix. Look at both sensors. The correct state is a steady green LED on the sender and a steady green or amber LED on the receiver. Blinking means misalignment, dirt, or a cut wire. Wipe lenses with a microfiber cloth, then loosen the bracket wing nut and rotate one sensor a quarter-turn at a time until both LEDs go steady. If LEDs stay off entirely, the wire is cut — typically a $80–$150 service call to splice or rerun the run from sensor to head.

Off-track door — $150–$900

A door that has jumped its track will refuse to open or open crooked. Minor cases (one roller out of one track section): $150–$350. Major cases (bent track sections, multiple rollers, vehicle-impact damage): $400–$900. Do not force the door — you can rip the panels and turn a $200 fix into a $1,200 panel replacement.

The repair-vs-replace math when the door is over 15 years old

For a 15+ year old door, the spring failure is often just the first domino. The pattern: spring goes ($300), cables go six months later ($200), opener gives up next year ($550), one panel rots from weather ($400). Total over 18 months: $1,450. A full new insulated door installed is $1,400–$3,500 with significantly better energy performance and security.

The rule of thumb: if total repair cost exceeds 50% of replacement and the door is over 15 years old, replace instead. Get a written estimate for the repair AND a quote for a new door on the same visit — most contractors will provide both.

When to skip the diagnostic and just call

• Door is hanging crooked or partially open. Do not run the opener — you can destroy the panels. Call a pro for safe-down service ($75–$150 visit + repair).
• You hear a loud bang and the door is stuck. That was a spring or cable snapping. Don't touch springs under tension — they store enough energy to kill. Pro repair only.
• You smell electrical burn from the opener. Cut power at the breaker. Don't reset and retry. Opener replacement is likely.

Frequently asked questions

Pricing data compiled 2026 from CostPatch research panel across 50 US states. National ranges reflect typical professional installation/repair scope; outlier high-end work may exceed ranges. See methodology for sourcing.