Broken garage door spring
Heard a loud bang and now the garage door won't open?
That bang was almost certainly a torsion spring snapping. The opener can't lift the door without it, so don't keep pressing the button. It's one of the repairs we do most.
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Is this what you're seeing?
A bang like a gunshot or a dropped board came from the garage, often when nobody was using the door.
The opener runs or hums, but the door rises a few inches and stops, or doesn’t move at all.
Looking up above the door, there’s a gap in the coiled spring on the bar.
The door feels extremely heavy when you try to lift it by hand.
What's going on
Your door is balanced by a torsion spring on a bar above the opening. The spring does the heavy lifting, not the opener. Springs are rated for a set number of open-and-close cycles, and when one reaches the end of its life it breaks, usually with a loud bang.
Once the spring is broken, the full weight of the door sits on the opener and the lifting cables. Most openers will try, strain and stop. That is the safety system working, not a second problem.
Springs wear out on a schedule, not a season: our own job records show breaks spread across every month of the year. On doors with two springs, the other one is usually the same age and close behind.
What to do right now
Do
Leave the door where it is and unplug the opener so nobody hits the button again.
If your car is stuck inside, call us and say so. That changes how fast we need to get to you.
Keep kids and pets away from the door until it’s fixed.
Don't
Don’t pull the red emergency release with the door open. Without the spring, the door can drop.
Don’t try to lift the door by hand or prop it with a board.
Don’t loosen or touch the spring, bar or cables. They hold dangerous tension.
How we fix it
This is a garage door spring repair. On most of these jobs our records list the springs and nothing else. When more was needed, this is what came up.
What the work involved
- Rollers29 of 737 jobs
- Door lubricated28 of 737 jobs
- Cables20 of 737 jobs
- Spring replacement jobs since 2017
- 876
- Typical time on site
- 45 min
Recent jobs like this
Jul 2026
LakewoodFound
Both torsion springs had snapped.
Fixed
Replaced the springs and the steel bearing between them.
Sep 2026
GoldenFound
A spring had snapped on the door's Max-style torsion system.
Fixed
Removed that system and installed a standard torsion system with a new shaft, springs, bearings and cables.
May 2025
GoldenFound
An older door with a half-horsepower opener banged loudly while closing. Afterward it would only open about a foot and couldn't be lifted by hand.
Fixed
Replaced both springs and lubricated the door.
Jun 2025
LakewoodFound
A broken spring had left the door out of balance.
Fixed
Replaced both springs, adjusted the opener and tracks, and lubricated the door.
Oct 2023
DenverFound
One spring broke and the door wouldn't open. The keypad code had also been lost.
Fixed
Changed the springs and reset the keypad.
May 2025
LakewoodFound
A spring broke while the door was closed, so the door stayed down.
Fixed
Replaced the spring set.
Repair or replace?
A broken spring on its own is a repair, not a reason to replace the door. If the door is also badly dented, rotted or missing sections, we’ll tell you on site and you can weigh a new garage door instead.
Related questions
Why did my garage door make a loud bang or gunshot noise?
A loud bang or gunshot sound from a garage door almost always means a torsion spring broke.
Read full answerMy garage door spring just broke. What do I do now?
Stop using the opener now. Your garage door spring just broke, so leave the door where it is, unplug the opener so nobody presses the button, and park outside. A door with a broken spring can weigh 200 to 500 pounds unsupported, and DASMA says do not operate it until the spring is replaced.
Read full answerCan I use my garage door with a broken spring?
Using a garage door with a broken spring can burn out the opener and bend panels. Here is why to stop and how to get your car out safely.
Read full answerDo I need to replace both garage door springs even if only one broke?
Yes, replacing both springs at the same time is strongly recommended even if only one broke.
Read full answerWhy did my garage door spring break?
Garage door springs break from normal cycle wear, age, rust, cold Denver mornings, and skipped maintenance. Here are the real causes and how to slow them.
Read full answerRelated services
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