Broken garage door spring or snapped cable: what to do

What should I do if my garage door spring is broken?

Leave the door where it is, keep people, pets and cars clear, and call a garage door technician. Do not run the opener, lift the door by hand or pull the emergency release while the door is open, because Chamberlain warns a door with weak or broken springs may fall rapidly and without warning^[3].

Situation	What to do	Source
Door is closed	Leave it closed; it is the safest position	Chamberlain[3]
Door is open or partly open	Keep everyone out from under it; do not pull the release cord	Chamberlain[3]
Opener hums, door barely moves	Stop pressing the button; the door is too heavy for the opener	Clopay[4]
Cable hanging or door crooked	Do not operate the door	Genie[5]
Getting it fixed	Torsion springs $150 to $350, extension springs $120 to $200 (2025)	HomeGuide[1]

Step by step:

1. Leave the door where it is. If it is closed, that is the safest position.
2. Do not press the opener button or the wall control. The opener is not built to lift the full weight of the door. Genie says broken springs or cables are hazardous and you should not operate the door^[5].
3. Do not lift the door by hand. HomeAdvisor says it is unsafe to manually open a garage door when a spring is broken^[2].
4. Do not pull the emergency release cord if the door is open or partly open. Chamberlain says to use the release only when the door is fully closed, and warns that with weak or broken springs the door may fall rapidly and without warning^[3].
5. Keep people, pets and cars out of the door's path.
6. Call a garage door technician. Genie calls broken springs and cables serious and potentially dangerous situations that need a garage door service professional^[5].

Why this page has no repair steps

Garage door springs are wound or stretched under high tension so they can lift the door. HomeGuide warns that DIY spring work can result in serious injury or death^[1]. The lift cables work with the springs, so a snapped cable is the same kind of hazard. Some web guides describe lifting the door by hand and propping it open to get a car out. We do not, because HomeAdvisor says manual opening with a broken spring is unsafe^[2]. Do not try to unwind, adjust, remove or reattach a spring or cable.

Signs your garage spring is broken

HomeGuide lists these warning signs of a failed spring^[1]:

What you notice	What it often means
A loud bang like a gunshot from the garage	A spring has just broken
A visible gap in the coils of a torsion spring above the door	Broken torsion spring
The door will not move, gets stuck or tilts to one side	Broken spring or uneven lift
The door drops fast or slams shut	Lost spring support
The door is extremely hard to lift by hand	Spring is no longer helping
Cables hang slack or have come off	Broken extension spring or cable
The opener strains, makes odd noises or stops	The door is too heavy for it

Clopay adds that when a spring snaps, the door can become too heavy for the opener to move^[4]. So if the opener hums or the door rises only a few inches and stops, a broken spring is a likely cause.

Signs a garage door cable snapped

A snapped or frayed cable usually shows up as a door that hangs crooked, with one side lower than the other. You may see a loose cable hanging beside the door or a cable that has come off its drum at the top. Heavier and solid-wood doors use thicker cables^[7]. A crooked door can also come off its tracks, which is its own hazard (see garage door off track).

What not to do

• Do not prop the door with a ladder, a board or a car jack.
• Do not try to wind a torsion spring or rehook an extension spring.
• Do not keep running the opener "just once" to get the car out.
• Do not stand under a door that is partly open.

Can I open my garage door with a broken spring?

The short answer is no. Chamberlain's own guidance is to stop if the door feels unusually heavy, will not stay open or slams shut, and to contact a garage door professional^[3]. If your car is stuck inside, tell the repair company when you call. Evening, weekend and holiday visits carry premium charges^[1], so ask for the full price before the technician comes out.

What it costs

Repair	Range	Source
Torsion springs, replaced	$150 to $350	HomeGuide, Oct 2025[1]
Extension springs, replaced	$120 to $200	HomeGuide, Oct 2025[1]
Springs plus cables	$200 to $500	HomeGuide, Oct 2025[1]
Cable repair or replacement	$150 to $350	HomeGuide, Jan 2026[6]
Cable repair	$100 to $400	HomeAdvisor, Jun 2026[7]

HomeAdvisor recommends replacing both springs together because the door needs balanced tension^[2]. Full pricing, including double doors and high-cycle springs, is on the spring replacement cost page.

Why springs break

Springs wear out with use. HomeGuide rates torsion springs at 10,000 to 20,000 cycles, about 7 to 14 years, and extension springs at 5,000 to 15,000 cycles, about 4 to 10 years^[1]. A busy household reaches the cycle limit sooner. Extension springs can snap with force and fly across the garage when they break, which is one reason HomeGuide calls torsion springs the safer type^[1].

When to call a pro

• Any time you see a gapped, stretched or broken spring.
• A cable is loose, frayed, snapped or off its drum, or the door hangs crooked.
• The opener runs but the door does not move, or it lifts only a few inches.
• Ask for a written quote that names the spring type, the cycle rating and whether both springs and the cables are included.