Emergency
Garage Door Off Track
A door that has jumped its track is holding hundreds of pounds in a position it was not designed for. Stop operating it.
Stop using the opener
Do not keep pressing the button to see if it corrects itself. It will not, and each attempt bends more track and risks pulling the door down. Pull the red emergency release and leave it where it is.
If the door is partly open and looks unstable, keep vehicles and people out from under it until someone can secure it properly.
Why do garage doors come off their track?
| Cause | What you will see | Common here? |
|---|---|---|
| Wind loading | Top section bowed inward, rollers out at the top | Yes, after haboobs |
| Snapped lift cable | One side dropped lower than the other | Yes |
| Worn or seized rollers | Door binding gradually before it jumped | Very, from dust |
| Backed into it | Dented panel, bent track at the impact point | Yes |
| Loose track brackets | Track visibly pulled away from the jamb | Occasionally |
The wind and dust causes are genuinely a West Texas pattern. A 16-foot double door acts as a flat sail, and the haboob on 17 October 2011 gusted to 75 mph. Detail on wind damage.
What the repair involves
- Securing the door so it cannot fall while it is being worked on.
- Getting the rollers back into the track, which usually means partially dismantling a section.
- Straightening or replacing bent track. Badly kinked track is replaced, not straightened.
- Replacing cables and rollers if either caused it.
- Rebalancing and re-checking the springs, since an off-track event often reveals an underlying spring problem.
This is not a DIY job. The door is under load in an unstable position and the cable drums are under spring tension.
Questions we get asked
Can you fix it same day?
Usually, unless a section is bent badly enough to need a replacement panel. See panel replacement.
Will the whole door need replacing?
Often not. Track, rollers and cables are all replaceable. It comes down to whether the sections themselves are bent, which we can tell you on sight.
Is it covered by insurance?
If wind or an impact caused it, sometimes. Wear and tear, no. Photograph it before any repair. See insurance claims.
Can I put the door back on the track myself?
We would not. A door off its track still has springs under full tension, and the cable is often the thing holding the weight in an unintended way. Forcing the roller back can release that load suddenly. Leave it where it is, keep people and vehicles clear, and do not run the opener.
What causes a door to come off track in Lubbock?
Worn rollers first, then impact, then wind. Grit-worn rollers develop flat spots and start to climb rather than roll, and it takes only one to lift out for the door to skew. A vehicle catching the door and a hard blow off the Caprock account for most of the rest.
Will the track need replacing too?
Sometimes. If the roller simply lifted out and the track is straight, it goes back and the rollers get replaced. If the track has been bent or the mounting brackets pulled, that section of track needs replacing, or the door will keep doing it.
Get it fixed today
Door off the track? Leave it alone and call us. It is not safe to keep cycling.