A ceiling-mounted garage door opener with its light cover, power cord and the rail running toward the door — A ceiling-mounted opener. The motor moves a trolley along the rail; the springs above the door do the actual lifting.

Check the springs first

If the motor hums or the door lifts a few inches and stops, look at the springs above the door before blaming the opener. A broken spring makes the door too heavy for any opener. See broken spring repair.

The door starts down, then reverses

A safety sensor mounted on the door track a few inches above the garage floor, with its green light on — A safety sensor a few inches above the floor. There’s a matching one on the other side of the door; a steady light on each means they can see each other.

Two small safety sensors near the floor send a beam across the door opening. If anything blocks it, the door reverses. Common causes here:

Dust and grit on the lenses after monsoon storms. Wipe both with a soft cloth.
Low sun shining straight into a sensor, which is common on west-facing garages in late afternoon. If the problem only happens at certain times of day, glare is the likely cause.
A bumped sensor that’s out of line. Each sensor has a small light; both should be steady, not blinking.

Many openers also flash their main light in a pattern to signal a sensor problem. Your opener’s manual lists what the flashes mean.

The remote or keypad stopped working

A garage door wall control with a large push button, a lock slider and a light button — A wall control. On this model the small slider next to the lock symbols turns the lock on and off; while it’s locked, remotes and keypads won’t open the door.

Try the wall button. If it works, the opener is fine and the remote is the problem.
Replace the remote or keypad battery.
Check that the lock or vacation button on the wall control isn’t turned on.
If none of that helps, the remote may need to be reprogrammed or replaced.

The red release cord

A red emergency release cord and handle hanging from the opener rail near the top of the garage door — The emergency release hangs from the opener rail near the door.

Pulling the red handle disconnects the door from the opener so it can be moved by hand, for example during a power outage. With working springs, a disconnected door feels light and stays where you leave it.

Never pull it while the door is open if a spring may be broken. Without the spring, nothing holds the door up, and it can drop hard. To reconnect, pull the handle back toward the door or run the opener until the trolley clicks back in; your opener’s manual shows which.

The motor runs but the door doesn’t move

If the springs look intact, a worn drive gear inside the opener or a disconnected trolley is the usual cause. A technician can tell you whether the part is worth replacing on your model.

Heat and openers

Openers sit at the top of the garage, where summer temperatures are highest. Heat shortens the life of circuit boards and motors. An opener that works in the morning but quits on hot afternoons is worth having checked.

Repair or replace?

A repair usually makes sense for a newer opener with one failed part. Replacement is worth asking about when:

The opener is more than about 15 to 20 years old.
Parts for your model are hard to find.
You’ve had several repairs in a short time.
You want features older models lack, such as battery backup, quieter belt drive or phone control.

Repair companies work on all the common brands, including LiftMaster, Chamberlain and Genie. Garage Door Repair Match isn’t affiliated with any opener manufacturer.

What it costs

See repair costs for typical Phoenix-area prices, including a new installed opener.

Garage door opener repair in Buckeye and Goodyear