Garage Door Troubleshooting

Many of the most common garage door problems turn out to be very simple and might not even require tools to fix.  And even if it is a problem that requires a professional, knowledge about what is really going on is your best defense against common upsells and scams.

As a starting point, we need to figure out if the problem is an issue with the door itself, the garage door opener, or one of the controls (remotes, keypad, wall control, or smartphone application).

*When I say “garage door opener”, that refers to the motor, not to be confused with the remote control.*

Before you begin, get your thoughts in order regarding how your door has been acting.  I frequently go to service calls where my customer can’t accurately describe the circumstances under which their garage door is malfunctioning, which makes figuring out intermittent problems much more difficult.  Ask yourself these questions

  • Is there a problem closing my garage door?
  • Is there a problem opening my garage door?
  • Does the problem affect BOTH opening AND closing?
  • Does it happen every time, or just sometimes?
  • Does the light on the garage door opener motor flash (or if the bulb is burned out does it make a bunch of clicking sounds)?
  • Do I hear the motor activate, or does nothing happen at all?
  • Does it only happen when I use a remote control or does it happen when I use the wall control inside the garage as well? *Outdoor keypads and built in vehicle HomeLink buttons can be thought of as a remote control when troubleshooting*
  •  Is there a time of day or temperature range when the problem occurs?

Common Garage Door Problems

As a starting point, it is helpful to divide garage door problems into two main categories: failure to open and failure to close. Click on the one that BEST describes the problems your are having

Garage Door Won't Open

  • The door opens a couple inches and then stops
  • Door starts to lift but stops at random points before it is all the way up
  • The garage door opener turns on and runs but the door doesn’t move
  • The door starts to lift, then stops and makes a terrible grinding sound
  • Garage door is crooked and gets jammed as it starts to open
  • The door seems to get stuck on the floor for a second and lurches when it starts to lift off (may continue to the top or stop right after the lurch)

Garage Door Won't Close

  • Remote controls will open my garage door but won’t close it
  • I can only close my garage door by holding the wall control button down until it is completely shut
  • Garage door won’t even start to close but opens consistently
  • Garage door begins to close but reverses at the SAME point each time
  • Begins to close but reverses at DIFFERENT point each time
  • My door starts to close but reverses when it is near the floor at approximately the same point every time
  • None of my remote controls work

Less Common Garage Door Problems

  • My garage door seems to stick before it lifts off the ground, but only if it hasn’t been used for a few hours or more
  • The light in my garage door opener doesn’t work, even with a new bulb
  • My garage door opens by itself when nobody has clicked the remote or pressed the wall control button