5 Signs Your Garage Door Spring is Broken (And What To Do)

Garage door springs are the unsung heroes of your garage door system. They do the heavy lifting — literally — counterbalancing the 150–400 pound weight of your door so the opener can move it smoothly. When a spring breaks, the entire system fails. Here are the 5 warning signs you need to watch for.

Sign #1: You Hear a Loud Bang from the Garage

The most common sign of a broken spring is a loud bang or snapping sound, often described as sounding like a gunshot or firecracker. This happens when the tightly wound torsion spring suddenly unwinds and releases its stored energy. If you hear this sound and your garage door stops working, you almost certainly have a broken spring.

Sign #2: The Door Won't Open or Feels Extremely Heavy

When a spring breaks, the door loses its counterbalance. The opener may struggle to lift the door, or fail entirely. If you try to lift the door manually, it will feel incredibly heavy — like lifting the full weight of the door without any mechanical assistance. A properly balanced door should lift easily with one hand.

Sign #3: The Door Closes Too Fast or Slams Shut

If your garage door is closing much faster than normal, or slamming shut with force, a broken spring is likely the culprit. Without the spring's tension to control the descent, gravity takes over and the door drops rapidly. This is a serious safety hazard that can damage the door or injure anyone nearby.

Sign #4: Visible Gap in the Torsion Spring

Look at the spring mounted horizontally above your garage door. A healthy spring has tightly wound coils with no gaps. A broken spring will have a visible separation, typically a 2–4 inch gap where the spring snapped. If you see this gap, do not use your garage door.

Sign #5: The Top Section of the Door is Bent or Crooked

When one spring breaks in a two-spring system, the remaining spring pulls unevenly on the door. This causes the top section to bend, buckle, or sit crooked in the opening. Continuing to operate the door in this condition can cause expensive damage to the panels and tracks.

What To Do If Your Spring is Broken

1. 1Disconnect the opener by pulling the emergency release cord (only if the door is down)
2. 2Do not attempt to lift the door manually
3. 3Call a professional garage door technician immediately
4. 4Avoid parking in the garage until repaired — you may not be able to get your car out