Garage door spring repair
A spring along the side of your garage door track snapped?
That is an extension spring, common on older doors. Replace them as a pair and check the safety cables and pulleys at the same time. The door should not run until that is done.
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Is this what you're seeing?
Your springs stretch along the horizontal track on each side of the door, not on a bar above it.
You heard a bang and one spring is hanging loose or lying on the garage floor.
The door goes up or comes down crooked, or one side is higher than the other.
A thin cable runs through each spring and one of them looks frayed or has come loose.
What's going on
Extension springs stretch as the door closes and shorten as it opens, one on each side of the door. A safety cable runs through each one so a spring that breaks stays contained instead of whipping across the garage.
The springs, the cables that lift the door and the pulleys they run over all wear together. When one spring goes, the other has the same age and the same stretching behind it, and the door is lifting unevenly in the meantime.
Our records show these repairs are small jobs: the springs, sometimes the cables and pulleys, and a lubricated door. Extension springs are mostly on older doors, and some of those doors have wood panels.
What to do right now
Do
Leave the door where it is and unplug the opener.
Stay clear of the track on the side with the broken spring and keep kids and pets away.
Note the color on the ends of the springs, if you can see it, and tell us which side broke.
Don't
Don’t run the door on the opener or lift it by hand with one spring gone.
Don’t take the safety cables off the springs.
Don’t try to stretch or unhook a spring yourself. They hold a lot of force.
How we fix it
This is a garage door spring repair. We replace the extension springs as a pair, then check the cables and pulleys. Here is what these jobs involved in our records.
What the work involved
- Cables replaced3 of 10 jobs
- Pulleys replaced2 of 10 jobs
- Door lubricated2 of 10 jobs
- Tracks adjusted or replaced1 of 10 jobs
- Extension spring replacement jobs since 2022
- 10
Recent jobs like this
Jun 2025
West metroFound
A wire on the side of the door had snapped, and the door was opening and closing unlevel.
Fixed
Replaced both extension springs and both cables, and lubricated the door.
May 2025
Denver metroFound
The extension springs needed replacing.
Fixed
Replaced them, lubricated the door and repaired the retainer on the bottom section.
Aug 2026
Denver metroFound
Extension springs on two doors in an alley garage, one with a low-headroom track.
Fixed
Adjusted the low-headroom track to level the door, with the springs to follow later that day.
Aug 2026
Denver metroFound
A broken extension spring system.
Fixed
Took the system apart, replaced the spring and two pulleys, and rebuilt it.
Aug 2026
LakewoodFound
The springs broke on an older door, and the family booked the visit by phone.
Fixed
Replaced the extension springs with a spring kit.
Repair or replace?
Replacing extension springs like for like is a repair. If you would rather not keep replacing them, see converting extension springs to torsion. If the door itself is worn out, look at a new garage door.
Related questions
Torsion vs extension springs: what's the difference?
Torsion vs extension springs: torsion mounts on a shaft above the door and lasts longer, while extension springs run along the tracks and cost less.
Read full answerDo extension spring garage doors need safety cables?
Yes.
Read full answerWhat is the DASMA extension spring color code chart?
DASMA TDS-171 defines a color code for garage door extension springs where the paint stripe color indicates the weight the spring pair is rated to lift.
Read full answerCan you repair broken garage door springs?
Can you repair broken garage door springs? A snapped spring is replaced, not patched. Here is how torsion and extension spring service works and why.
Read full answerHow long do garage door springs last?
How long do garage door springs last? Most last 7 to 10 years, or about 10,000 cycles. Denver cold and daily use shorten that. Here's what affects it.
Read full answerRelated services
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