A garage door that has come off its track is one of the more dangerous problems you can have in the garage. The door is heavy, it is held up unevenly, and the cables that carry its weight may be slack on one side and loaded on the other. In El Paso the usual causes are wind, a car bumping the door or track, worn rollers, and loose track brackets.
What an off-track door looks like
- One or more rollers have popped out of the track.
- The door sits at an angle, lower on one side.
- A gap opens between the door and the track as it moves.
- The track itself is bent, or pulled away from the wall at the top.
- A cable hangs loose or has come off the drum at the top corner.
What to do right now
- 1Stop using the opener. Pull the plug on the opener so nobody presses a remote.
- 2Do not try to force the door up or down. Pushing an off-track door can make it fall out of the opening completely.
- 3Keep everyone out from under it, including pets and children, and do not drive under it.
- 4Do not touch the cables, drums or bottom brackets. The cables carry the spring tension. A loose cable can snap back with enough force to cut skin or break bones.
- 5Take a photo of both sides of the door and the top corners, and call.
Why doors come off track in El Paso
Wind
Average winds in El Paso often top 30 mph, and gusts over 75 mph have been measured. A door caught part way open in a gust, or pushed by wind against its closed position for hours, puts sideways force on the rollers and the track. Over time that loosens the bolts holding the track brackets to the wall. A loose track lets the rollers slip out.
Dust and worn rollers
Spring dust storms, which are most common from March to early May, pack grit into the rollers and the bottom of the tracks. A roller that no longer spins freely drags and can jump the track. Cheap plastic rollers with no bearings wear fastest. Nylon rollers with sealed bearings run quieter and smoother.
Bumps
A car tapping the door or the bottom of the track is enough to bend the track a little, and that bend catches a roller every time the door passes it.
Cable problems
The lift cables run from the bottom corners of the door up to drums on the spring bar. They wear at the bottom bracket and where they wind on the drum. Rust, fraying, or a cable that has jumped off its drum all need a technician, because fixing them means working with the spring tension. When one cable snaps, the door drops on that side and usually jams in the track, so a snapped cable and an off-track door often come together.
How the repair is done
A technician will secure the door, release spring tension if needed, and then:
- Put rollers back into the track, and replace any that are cracked or seized.
- Straighten or replace bent track sections.
- Re-fasten or replace loose track brackets.
- Replace worn or broken cables and reset them on the drums evenly.
- Rebalance the door and test the opener's limits and safety reverse.
Preventing it next time
- Keep the door fully closed in high wind and during dust storms.
- Brush sand out of the bottom of the tracks.
- Every few months, check that the track bracket bolts are tight. Do not touch the bottom brackets where the cables connect.
- Listen for new grinding or popping noises and get them checked early.
General repair figures from This Old House run from $98 to $860, with an average of about $479 nationally. See the cost guide.
Common questions
Can I put my garage door back on the track myself?
We do not recommend it. The door is heavy and the cables and springs are under tension. If the door shifts while you work on it, it can fall. Call and let a technician secure it first.
Why did my garage door cable snap?
Cables usually wear out from rust and fraying at the bottom bracket, or they get damaged when a door goes off track or a spring breaks. Both cables are normally replaced together.
Is it safe to leave an off-track door overnight?
Leave it exactly as it is, unplug the opener, and keep people and cars away from it. If the house cannot be secured, say so when you call.
Other services
Spring Repair
Snapped torsion and extension springs replaced, with the door balanced so the opener is not straining.
Opener Repair
Openers that hum, reverse or ignore the remote, plus new chain, belt and wall-mount openers.
Panel Replacement
Dented, cracked or wind-bent sections replaced when the matching panel is still available.