Last reviewed: March 2026
A broken garage door spring is the most common garage door failure, and it usually happens without warning. One moment your door works fine; the next morning it won’t budge. Here’s how to tell if a broken spring is the culprit, and what to do about it.
The most dramatic sign is a loud bang from the garage — often described as sounding like a gunshot or a car backfiring. This is the sound of a torsion spring breaking under tension. Many homeowners hear this at night when temperature changes cause the final failure. If you heard this sound and your door stopped working, a broken spring is almost certainly the cause.
Try lifting the door manually using the emergency release cord (the red handle hanging from the opener track). If the door feels extremely heavy — like you can barely lift it — the springs have failed. A properly balanced door with working springs should feel light enough to lift with one hand. Without springs, you’re lifting the full 150-250 pound weight of the door.
Look at the torsion spring mounted on the metal shaft above the door opening. A broken spring will have a visible gap — usually 2-4 inches — where the coils have separated. This is the most definitive visual confirmation.
If your opener lifts the door about 6 inches and then stops or reverses, the opener’s safety system is detecting that the door is too heavy. This is often caused by a broken spring putting the full door weight on the opener motor, which triggers the force limit.
If the door rises unevenly — one side higher than the other — one of two springs may have broken while the other still works. This puts dangerous uneven stress on the door and should be addressed immediately.
When a torsion spring breaks, it can cause the lifting cables to lose tension and come off the drums. If you see loose or dangling cables, a spring failure is likely the root cause.
This bears repeating: garage door spring replacement is genuinely dangerous. Torsion springs are under extreme tension — enough to cause serious injury or death. This is not a DIY project for any skill level. Every year, people are seriously hurt attempting this repair.
Running your opener with a broken spring forces the motor to lift the full weight of the door, which can burn out the motor or strip the gears. It can also cause the door to come off its tracks.
If the door is closed, it’s secure. If it’s stuck open, use C-clamps or locking pliers on the track just above one of the rollers to prevent the door from falling.
A qualified technician can replace your spring safely, typically in under 90 minutes. Castle offers same-day spring replacement with upfront pricing — no surprises.
Spring replacement typically costs $200–$350 for a single spring or $300–$500 for a pair in the San Diego area. This includes professional installation. We recommend replacing both springs at the same time even if only one has broken, as the second is likely near end of life.
You should not use the automatic opener with a broken spring — it forces the motor to lift the full 150–250 lb door weight, which can burn out the motor. You can manually lift the door, but it will be extremely heavy and potentially dangerous. Call a professional for same-day repair.
Standard torsion springs last approximately 10,000 cycles (roughly 7–10 years of typical residential use). High-cycle springs rated at 25,000+ cycles can last 15–20 years. Climate, maintenance, and door weight all affect lifespan.
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