Garage door springs do the heavy lifting every time your door opens - the opener just guides the motion. When a spring fails, the door becomes hundreds of pounds of dead weight, often with your car trapped behind it. The good news: springs almost always give warning before they snap. Here are the five signs to watch for.
1. The door feels heavier than usual
A properly balanced door should lift with one hand when the opener is disconnected. If the opener strains, hums, or the door feels like a workout to lift manually, the spring is losing tension and nearing the end of its life.
2. Visible gap or stretching in the coil
Look above your door. A torsion spring should be one tight, continuous coil. A visible gap means the spring has already broken; noticeable stretching or separation means it's close. Don't operate the door if you see either.
3. The door opens crooked or jerks
On two-spring systems, one weakening spring makes the door lift unevenly. A crooked door binds in the tracks and damages panels, rollers, and cables - turning one repair into several.
4. Loud creaking or popping sounds
Springs under failing tension creak, groan, or pop during operation. A single loud bang from the garage - often compared to a gunshot - means the spring has already snapped.
5. The spring is 7+ years old
Most springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles - roughly 7–10 years of typical use. If yours are in that range, proactive replacement is far cheaper and safer than waiting for a failure at the worst possible moment.
What to do if you spot these signs
Never attempt spring replacement yourself - springs store enormous tension and cause serious injuries every year. Our technicians replace torsion and extension springs same-day, with parts on the truck and a written warranty.
