Rollers, tracks and cables
Off-track garage door and cable repair
If the door hangs crooked or has come out of its track, leave it where it is. Unplug the opener, keep everyone clear and call. The cables and door can still shift.
What you're looking at
The door rides on rollers inside two steel tracks, with a cable on each side running from the bottom corner up to a drum. When a roller leaves its track, the door can twist and jam.
Usual causes are a car or bike hitting the door, a worn roller, a loose track or a frayed cable.
What is happening
The door is no longer running straight. One or both cables may be slack, kinked or off the drum.
What is safe to do
- Keep people and pets away from the door.
- Take photos from the side of where the roller sits.
- Unplug the opener so nobody presses the button out of habit.
What to leave alone
- Don't hammer or pry the roller back into the track.
- Don't run the opener or lift the door by hand.
- Don't touch the bottom brackets. The cable attaches there under tension.
What to ask the contractor
- Are the tracks bent, or only loose?
- Are the rollers and cables worn on the other side as well?
- Are any panels cracked along the hinge lines? If so, the door may need a new section.
The price depends on how many parts are damaged and whether the springs and drums also need work.
Door stuck, or opener dead?
Call this number and tell the independent contractor you reach what the door is doing.