Garage door is off its track
A door off its track is carrying its weight in a way the hardware was never designed for, and it can come down. Leave it exactly where it is, don't run the opener, and call. Resetting the door and straightening the track runs $195 to $310, plus cable work if a cable is what caused it.
Check these first
Two minutes, no tools, and sometimes it's the whole answer.
- Look at where the rollers sit. If any roller is out of the track channel, that's the answer.
- Look for a loose or snapped cable, which is the usual reason one side dropped.
- Look along the vertical track for a bend or a crease, often at bumper height.
- Check whether anything hit the door recently. A reversing car is the most common cause and people forget the knock.
What not to do while you wait
- Don't run the opener to try to straighten it. That bends more track and can twist the sections.
- Don't try to lever it back by hand. There is spring tension in the system and the door is heavy.
- Don't park a car under a door that's hanging crooked.
What it usually turns out to be
- Vehicle impact The most common cause. Even a light knock at bumper height can crease the vertical track enough to derail a roller.
- Snapped lift cable One side loses support and drops, and the rollers on that side come out.
- Worn rollers A roller with a worn stem tilts in the track and eventually climbs out of it.
- An opening that's out of square Along the Mission Boulevard corridor through Fremont and Hayward, slow fault creep and settling on bay mud can pull an opening out of square over decades. A door running in a frame that's no longer square binds, then derails.
What it costs
$195 to $310 for door reset, track checked and straightened. The diagnostic visit is $39 and it comes off that in full when you go ahead the same visit. Full detail on the off-track garage door repair page, and every other range we charge is on the cost page.
Where we cover
Newark, Fremont, Union City, Hayward, with Hayward limited to 94545 and 94544 in the south of the city. Call before noon and Newark, Fremont and Union City are same-day appointments. The areas we cover, in detail.
Questions we get asked
My car is trapped inside. What now?
Call and say so. Freeing a car from behind a derailed door is usually quicker than the full repair and we treat it as the first job.
Is a derailed door dangerous?
Yes, enough to stop using it. The weight is being held in a way the track and rollers weren't designed for, and running the opener adds load in the wrong direction.
Other things doors do
- Garage door won't close Almost always the safety sensors.
- Garage door won't open If it feels heavy, it's the spring.
- Garage door spring broke The bang was the spring letting go.
- Opener runs but the door doesn't move The trolley or the drive gear.
- Garage door opener is completely dead Power first, then the logic board.
Leave the door where it is and call
(510) 509-9998. If a car is shut inside, say so first and we'll book you ahead of the queue.
Newark · Fremont · Union City · Hayward