Published 2026-08-05
7 Signs of a Broken Garage Door Spring
Garage door springs carry the entire weight of the door. When one breaks, the opener cannot lift the door alone, and trying makes things worse. Here is how to tell if your spring has failed.
The seven signs
- A loud bang from the garage. A torsion spring releasing hundreds of pounds of tension sounds like a gunshot or a car crash.
- The door lifts a few inches and stops. Most openers have a force limit and give up when the door is dead weight.
- A visible gap in the spring. Look above the door: a torsion spring that has broken shows a clear split in the coil.
- Loose or hanging cables. When the spring lets go, the cables lose tension and can slip off the drums.
- The door is crooked. On a double-spring door, one broken spring leaves one side heavier.
- The door feels extremely heavy by hand. With the opener released, a balanced door lifts easily. A 150 lb door with a broken spring does not.
- The door slams shut. Nothing is holding it against gravity.
What to do
Do not run the opener repeatedly. Do not try to lift the door with a helper. Keep children and pets away. Call for garage door spring replacement; we replace both springs with high-cycle springs sized to your door, balance it and test the opener, usually the same day.
How much does spring replacement cost?
Spring replacement is flat priced by door size and spring type and quoted before work starts. Replacing both springs at once costs only a little more than one and avoids a second visit within months.
Trapped by a broken spring? Emergency garage door repair is available 24/7 in every Arizona city at (888) 904-6236.