If your garage door won’t close, the cause is most often the safety sensors near the floor. Other common culprits are the opener’s settings, the tracks and rollers, or a broken spring or cable. Some of these you can check safely in a few minutes. Others need a technician.
Here are the seven most common reasons a garage door won’t close, how to spot each one and what to do about it.
1. Something is blocking the safety sensors
Every modern garage door opener has two small safety sensors, one on each side of the door about six inches above the floor. They send an invisible beam across the opening. If anything breaks that beam, the door refuses to close or reverses back up.
Signs: the door starts to close, then goes back up. The opener light may blink.
What to do: look for anything in the doorway, such as a trash can, bike, box, leaves or a garden hose. Move it and try again.
2. Dirty or misaligned safety sensors
Even with nothing in the way, dust, cobwebs or a bumped bracket can stop the sensors from seeing each other. Most sensors have a small indicator light. A light that is off or blinking usually means they are dirty or out of alignment.
What to do: wipe both lenses gently with a soft, dry cloth. Check that both sensors point straight at each other and that the brackets are tight. If the lights still won’t stay steady, the wiring or sensors may need attention.
3. The close limit setting is off
The opener’s limit setting tells it how far to travel. If it’s set wrong, the opener thinks the door hit an obstacle before it reaches the floor, so it reverses. This can happen after a power surge, a new opener install or changes to the door.
Signs: the door touches the floor, or almost does, then immediately goes back up.
What to do: the fix is an adjustment on the opener, and the steps vary by brand and model. Because it’s tied to the safety reverse, it’s best to have a technician set and test it.
4. Close force set too low, or the door is binding
Openers also have a force setting. If the door is rubbing in the track, has a stiff roller or has become heavier over time, the opener may sense too much resistance and stop.
What to do: don’t simply turn the force up. That can hide a real problem and make the door less safe. Find out why the door is binding first.
5. Bent tracks or worn rollers
The door rides on rollers inside metal tracks. A bent track, a gap between track sections or worn rollers can make the door jam partway down or close crooked.
Signs: grinding or scraping noises, a door that stops in the same spot, rollers that wobble or have popped out of the track.
What to do: stop using the door. A door that’s coming off its track can fall. Track and roller repairs should be done by a technician.
6. A broken spring or cable
Springs do most of the work of lifting and lowering your door. When one breaks, the door may not move at all, may go down crooked, or may come down much faster than normal. A snapped lift cable causes similar problems on one side.
Signs: a loud bang from the garage, a visible gap in the spring above the door, or loose cables hanging at the sides.
What to do: don’t run the opener and don’t try to repair springs or cables yourself. They are under extreme tension. This is a job for a professional. See our broken spring repair service.
7. Remote, keypad or wall control problems
Sometimes the door is fine and the signal never reaches the opener.
What to do:
- Try the wall button. If the wall button works but the remote doesn’t, replace the remote’s battery.
- Check whether the wall console’s lock or “vacation” mode is turned on. It blocks remotes and keypads.
- Make sure the opener is plugged in and the outlet has power.
- If someone pulled the red emergency release cord, the door is disconnected from the opener and needs to be reconnected.
What you can check yourself, and when to call
Safe to check yourself: obstructions, sensor lenses and their indicator lights, the remote battery, the wall console lock and power to the opener.
Call a technician for a broken spring or cable, bent or loose tracks, a door that’s crooked or off its rollers, limit or force adjustments, and any time the door moves in a way that feels unsafe.
A word of caution about the red emergency release cord: if a spring is broken, pulling the release on an open door can let it slam down. If you think a spring is broken and the door is stuck open, keep everyone clear and call for help.
Same-day garage door repair in Northern Virginia
A garage door that won’t close leaves your home exposed, so we treat it as a priority. Book before 2 PM and Bestwork Garage Door comes the same day. For emergencies, call (571) 217-9517 any time. We’re available 24/7.
Learn more about our garage door repair, opener and motor repair and same-day service. We serve Chantilly, Centreville, Fairfax, Herndon, Reston, Sterling, Ashburn and Manassas.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my garage door go back up when it hits the ground?
Usually the close limit setting is off, so the opener reads the floor as an obstacle. It can also be a force setting or a binding door. A technician can adjust the opener and test the safety reverse.
Why does my garage door close with the wall button but not the remote?
Most often it’s a dead remote battery or the wall console’s lock mode. If the door only closes while you hold the wall button down, the safety sensors are usually the problem.
Is it safe to leave my garage door open overnight?
It’s best not to, since an open door gives easy access to your garage and often your home. If it won’t close, call us. Our emergency line is answered 24/7.
