Is it the spring?
- You heard a loud bang from the garage, like a gunshot or a car backfiring
- The opener hums or strains, but the door won't go up, or lifts a few inches and stops
- There's a 2–3 inch gap in the coil of the spring on the bar above the door
- On doors with springs along the side tracks: a spring is stretched out or hanging loose
Those are the signs Raynor describes (Raynor Garage Doors, May 25, 2026).
Why the opener can't lift it, and you shouldn't either
The spring, not the opener, does the heavy lifting. A standard torsion spring "holds 100 to 300 pounds of force", and the opener "is not designed to lift the full door weight without spring assistance" (Raynor Garage Doors, May 25, 2026). With the spring broken, the door is dead weight. Lifted by hand, it can slam shut.
What to do right now
- Stop pressing the remote and the wall button. Running the opener can damage its motor and gears, and the door may fall
- Unplug the opener
- Leave the red emergency release cord alone. Raynor says it should only ever be pulled with the door fully closed (Raynor Garage Doors, May 25, 2026); with the door partly open, it can drop
- If the door is partly open or crooked, keep everyone away from it
- Photograph the bar above the door and both sides, then send them for a written quote
Don't
- Lift the door by hand or prop it with wood
- Touch the broken spring, the cables or the bottom brackets
- Try to replace the spring yourself. Raynor: “Spring replacement is a professional-only repair” (Raynor Garage Doors, May 25, 2026)
"My car is trapped inside"
That's the one situation where paying for same-day or after-hours service can make sense. A technician can open the door safely and usually replace the spring on the same visit. If you can get to work another way (a lift from a friend, a ride-share) and the house is secure, waiting until normal hours can save a lot: This Old House notes after-hours service "can sometimes double your bill" (This Old House, updated May 29, 2026). More on that choice: is a broken spring an emergency?
What it typically costs
Spring replacement is typically $300–$540 installed (torsion $350–$540, extension $300–$400) (This Old House, updated Mar 10, 2026). Ask whether the quote covers one spring or a matched pair, and whether the cables were checked. See spring replacement cost in Tulsa.