My Garage Door Came Off Its Track

Stop using the door and unplug the opener. A door off its track is carrying weight in a direction it was never designed to, and it can come down.

What to do right now

  1. Stop the door where it is. Do not run it to the top or the bottom.

  2. Unplug the opener so nobody presses the button out of habit.

  3. Move the car out from under the door if it is open.

  4. Do not pull the door back by hand. Tracks bend easily, and a bent track turns this into a parts job.

How to tell this is the problem

  • The door hangs crooked, with one side lower than the other
  • A roller is visibly sitting outside the track
  • The door jams partway and will not move in either direction
  • A gap has opened between the door and the track
  • Grinding or scraping when the door moves

Why it happens

A door leaves its track when something interrupts the path the rollers run in. Usually that is a vehicle bumper catching the door, a roller worn until it no longer sits in the curve, a broken cable letting one side drop, or debris packed into the bottom track. On the pitched driveways that cover much of Belmont and Daly City, the bumper is the most common of the four.

Should you attempt it yourself

Getting a door back on its track looks straightforward and rarely is. The door has to be held up while the roller is guided back into the curve, and the cables have to stay seated on their drums the whole time. A cable that jumps its drum while the door is unsupported drops that side of the door.

What it costs to fix

JobPriceWhat it covers
Off-track repair $200 to $400 Price depends on what put the door off the track. A roller out of the curve is quick. A bent track or a panel that took the impact adds parts.

Every job we price is listed on the garage door repair cost page, and what each involves is under repair services.

Common questions

How much does it cost to put a garage door back on its track?

$200 to $400. A roller that has simply jumped out of the curve is at the low end and quick to correct. A bent track section or a panel that took the impact adds parts and moves it up.

Can I push my garage door back onto the track myself?

It isn't worth attempting. The door has to be held up while the roller is guided back in, and the cables have to stay seated on their drums throughout. If a cable comes off while the door is unsupported, that side drops.

What causes a garage door to come off its track?

Most often a vehicle catching the door, a worn roller that no longer sits properly in the curve, a broken cable letting one side drop, or an obstruction in the bottom track. Steep or narrow driveways make the vehicle cause a lot more likely.

Is a garage door off its track dangerous?

Yes. The door is being held by fewer points than it was designed around, and the rollers and cables still holding it are loaded in the wrong direction. Doors in that state can and do come down.

Other problems we get called out for: broken garage door spring , garage door opener not working , garage door will not close , garage door will not open , snapped garage door cable , noisy garage door , garage door remote not working .

Need it looked at today?

Call before early afternoon and we can usually get out the same day.

Call (650) 376-6070