Why Your Garage Door Won’t Close (And How to Fix It)

The Most Common Reasons Your Garage Door Won’t Close

Before diving into details, here’s a quick overview of what’s usually behind a garage door that won’t close. We’ve listed them from most common to least common based on what our technicians see across Northern Utah.

Quick Reference:

• Blocked or misaligned safety sensors – accounts for the majority of “won’t close” calls
• Dirty sensor lenses – especially common in Utah’s dusty climate
• Something blocking the door’s path
• Incorrect close limit settings on the opener
• Broken springs or cables
• Damaged or bent tracks
• Opener malfunction or wiring issue
• Remote or wall button problems

Most of these have simple fixes. Let’s work through them one at a time.

Safety Sensors: The #1 Reason Your Garage Door Won’t Close

If your garage door goes up just fine but refuses to close – or starts closing and immediately reverses – the safety sensors are the first thing to check. They’re the cause of the problem in the vast majority of cases.

Every garage door opener manufactured after 1993 is required by federal law to have photo-eye safety sensors. These are the two small devices mounted near the bottom of your garage door tracks, about 6 inches off the ground. One sends an invisible infrared beam to the other. If anything breaks that beam – a person, a pet, a bicycle, a leaf – the door reverses to prevent crushing injuries.

The system works well. But it’s also sensitive, and a lot of things can trigger it when there’s nothing actually in the way.

How to identify a sensor problem:

• The opener light blinks when you try to close the door (most openers blink a specific number of times to indicate a sensor issue)
• The door closes when you hold the wall button down continuously but reverses when you use the remote
• One sensor light is off or blinking instead of solid

Utah Note: Utah’s dry, dusty conditions create sensor problems faster than in humid climates. In the summer months, dust buildup on sensor lenses is the single most common reason for “my garage door won’t close” calls across the Draper, Sandy, and Salt Lake Valley areas. In winter, ice, frost, and condensation on the sensor lens can cause the same issue – especially in unheated garages in Cache Valley and along the Wasatch Front where temperatures regularly drop below zero.

How to Fix Sensor Problems (Step by Step)

Before you call anyone, try these steps in order. Most sensor issues can be resolved in under 5 minutes.

Step 1: Check for obstructions

Look along the bottom of the door’s path. The sensor beam runs about 6 inches off the ground between the two tracks. Common obstructions include:

• Boxes, bins, or storage items that shifted
• A broom, shovel, or tool leaning against the track
• A garden hose, extension cord, or pet toy
• Cobwebs stretched across the beam (invisible at a glance but enough to trigger the sensor)
• Snow, ice, or debris at the base of the track

A homeowner in Draper spent two days troubleshooting a door that wouldn’t close. They checked the sensors, adjusted the alignment, even reset the opener. When our technician arrived, he found a single cobweb stretched between the sensors. The entire fix took 10 seconds with a brush. “I felt ridiculous,” they told us, “but also relieved it wasn’t something expensive.”

Step 2: Clean the sensor lenses

Each sensor has a small lens (about the size of a pencil eraser). Over time, dust, dirt, moisture, and spider webs accumulate on these lenses and weaken or block the beam.

Use a soft, dry cloth or a cotton swab to gently wipe both lenses. Don’t use chemical cleaners – they can leave residue that attracts more dust.

Pro Tip: Make sensor cleaning a seasonal habit. A 30-second wipe in March and September prevents most closing problems throughout the year. In Utah’s dusty environment, this simple step saves more service calls than any other maintenance task.

Step 3: Check sensor alignment

Both sensors need to point directly at each other across the door opening. If one gets bumped – by a kid’s bike, a wayward basketball, or just years of vibration from the door – the beam won’t connect and the door won’t close.

How to check alignment:

• Look at the indicator lights on each sensor. On most models, one sensor has a green light (receiving) and one has an amber/yellow light (sending).
• If the green light is off or blinking, the receiving sensor isn’t detecting the beam.
• Gently adjust the sensor on its bracket until the green light turns solid.
• Most sensors are held in place by a wing nut or bracket screw. Loosen it slightly, adjust, then tighten.

A couple in Ogden noticed their garage door started reversing after their teenager bumped one of the sensors with a bicycle. They didn’t connect the two events until a week of frustration later. A quick adjustment of the sensor bracket and the door closed perfectly. “We almost bought a new opener,” they admitted.

Step 4: Inspect the sensor wiring

Follow the thin wires from each sensor back to where they connect to the opener. Look for:

• Loose connections at the sensor or the opener terminal
• Damaged, frayed, or chewed wires (rodents sometimes chew sensor wiring in garages)
• Staples or nails that may have pierced the wire insulation
• Corrosion at the wire connections

Utah Note: Mice and voles are common in Utah garages, especially during fall and winter when they seek shelter from the cold. In rural areas around Logan, Tremonton, and Cache Valley, rodent damage to sensor wiring is something our technicians see regularly from October through March.

If the wiring looks damaged, this is where DIY ends. Electrical repairs should be handled by a professional.

Action Step: If you’ve cleaned the sensors, cleared obstructions, checked alignment, and inspected wiring – and the door still won’t close – call Advanced Door at (844) 971-3667. We’ll diagnose it for free and give you an honest answer.

Close Limit Settings: When the Door Stops Short or Reverses

If your garage door starts to close but stops before reaching the floor – or closes all the way down and then immediately reverses back up – the problem is likely your opener’s close limit settings, not the sensors.

Every garage door opener has adjustable travel limits that tell the door how far to move in each direction. If the “close” limit is set too short, the door stops before reaching the ground. If it’s set too far, the door hits the floor and the opener thinks it’s hitting an obstruction, so it reverses.

Signs of a close limit problem:

• The door closes most of the way but stops 2-6 inches off the ground
• The door touches the floor and immediately reverses
• The door closes fine sometimes but not others (temperature changes can cause the door to expand or contract slightly, affecting where the limit triggers)

How to adjust close limits:

Most openers have two adjustment screws or dials on the back or side of the motor unit – one for “open” travel and one for “close” travel.

• If the door doesn’t reach the floor: Turn the “close” limit screw clockwise (increases travel distance). Make small adjustments – a quarter turn at a time.
• If the door reverses after touching the floor: Turn the “close” limit screw counterclockwise (decreases travel distance). Again, small adjustments.
• Test after each adjustment.

Consult your opener’s manual for the exact location and direction of these adjustments. They vary by manufacturer (LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Genie, etc.).

Utah Note: Utah’s extreme temperature swings – 40 degrees or more between morning and afternoon is common along the Wasatch Front – cause garage door components to expand and contract. A door that closes perfectly at 2 PM when it’s 45 degrees may stop short at 7 AM when it’s 5 degrees because the metal tracks and door panels contracted overnight. If you find yourself adjusting limits seasonally, it may be worth having a technician inspect the overall door balance.

Pro Tip: If you’re not comfortable adjusting limit settings, or if the adjustments don’t hold, call a technician. Improperly set limits can cause the door to slam into the floor with excessive force (damaging weather seals and the door itself) or leave a gap that lets in cold air, pests, and water.

The Door’s Path Is Blocked (But You Can’t See It)

Sometimes the obstruction isn’t in the sensor beam – it’s in the door’s actual travel path. The door starts closing and hits something, triggering the auto-reverse safety feature.

Hidden obstructions to check:

• Ice or snow buildup at the bottom of the door opening (extremely common in Utah winters)
• A warped or swollen door panel that catches on the track
• A loose bolt, bracket, or hinge that protrudes into the door’s path
• Weather stripping that has come loose and bunches up when the door closes
• Debris in the track channels (leaves, dirt, small rocks, ice)

A homeowner in Brigham City called us in January because their door kept reversing about a foot from the ground. Everything looked clear from inside the garage. The culprit was a thin ridge of ice that had formed across the threshold overnight – invisible from inside but enough to trigger the auto-reverse when the rubber seal hit it. A cup of warm water solved the immediate problem, but we recommended installing a threshold seal to prevent future buildup.

Action Step: Run your hand along the bottom of the door opening and inside the track channels. Look for anything that shouldn’t be there. In winter, check for ice at the threshold – this is one of the most common hidden causes in Utah.

Broken Springs or Cables: When the Door Is Too Heavy to Close

If the door won’t close AND won’t open (or opens only a few inches before the opener gives up), the problem likely isn’t the sensors or limits – it’s the springs or cables.

When a spring breaks, the opener suddenly has to lift the full weight of the door (150-300 pounds) without assistance. Most residential openers are designed to lift 10-15 pounds of effective weight after the springs do their job. Without working springs, the opener either stalls, strains, or triggers its own safety shutoff.

Signs of a spring or cable issue:

• You heard a loud bang from the garage (a spring breaking)
• The door is extremely heavy when you try to lift it manually
• The door hangs crooked or tilts to one side (cable issue)
• The opener motor runs but the door barely moves
• Visible gap in the spring coils or loose cables hanging near the tracks

Safety Warning: Do not attempt to repair or adjust springs or cables yourself. These components are under extreme tension and can cause serious injury if they release unexpectedly. This is always a professional repair.

For more on spring issues, see our complete guide: Garage Door Repair in Utah.

Action Step: If you suspect broken springs or cables, stop using the door and call Advanced Door at (844) 971-3667. We carry parts for virtually every door type and can usually complete the repair the same day.

Damaged or Bent Tracks

If the door closes partway and then stops or makes grinding/scraping noises, the tracks may be bent, dented, or misaligned. Tracks guide the door’s rollers, and even a small bend can prevent smooth travel.

Common causes of track damage:

• Impact from a vehicle (even a minor bump can bend a track)
• Years of vibration loosening mounting brackets
• Ice expansion forcing tracks out of alignment
• A roller that popped out and created a dent when forced back

What to look for:

• Visible bends, dents, or gaps in the track
• The door wobbles or makes scraping sounds during travel
• Light visible between the roller and the track (they should sit flush)
• Mounting brackets that have pulled away from the wall

Minor track issues can sometimes be corrected by tightening mounting brackets. But bent tracks generally need professional repair or replacement – attempting to bend them back with pliers or a hammer often makes things worse.

Opener Malfunctions

If the sensors, limits, tracks, and springs all check out, the opener itself may be the problem. Openers are electromechanical devices with motors, circuit boards, gears, and wiring that all wear over time.

Common opener issues that prevent closing:

• The logic board has failed (the opener doesn’t respond to any input)
• A stripped gear in the drive mechanism (the motor runs but the chain/belt/screw doesn’t move)
• The opener is in “lock mode” (some models have a lock button on the wall console that disables remote operation)
• A tripped GFI outlet or blown fuse (no power to the opener)

Quick checks:

• Press the wall-mounted button. If the wall button works but the remote doesn’t, the issue is the remote or its signal, not the opener.
• Check if the opener is plugged in and the outlet has power. Test the outlet with another device.
• Look for a “lock” icon or button on the wall console. If engaged, the remote won’t work but the wall button will.
• Check for blinking LED lights on the opener unit – most models use blink codes to indicate specific errors. Your owner’s manual will have the code chart.

A homeowner in Park City called in a panic during a power outage because their garage door wouldn’t close and their home was exposed to a winter storm. We walked them through engaging the manual release cord (the red handle hanging from the opener rail) so they could close the door by hand until power returned. Not every “opener problem” needs a service call – sometimes the solution is knowing how to operate the manual release.

Pro Tip: If your opener is more than 15 years old and having frequent issues, replacement often makes more financial sense than repeated repairs. Modern openers include battery backup (critical during Utah power outages), Wi-Fi connectivity, and quieter operation.

The Wall Button and Remote: Simple but Easy to Overlook

Sometimes the door won’t close because of a simple communication failure between you and the opener.

Remote issues:

• Dead battery (CR2032 is the most common type – try replacing it first)
• Remote is out of range or the opener’s antenna is damaged/hanging incorrectly
• Remote needs to be reprogrammed (this can happen after a power outage or battery replacement)

Wall button issues:

• Loose wiring at the button or at the opener terminal
• The button itself has worn out (they do eventually fail)
• The lock feature is engaged (disables remote but wall button still works)

The hold-down test: If the door closes when you press and hold the wall button the entire way down, but reverses when you just tap it or use the remote, that’s almost certainly a sensor issue – not a remote or button issue. The wall button can override the sensors when held continuously, which is useful for diagnosis.

When to Call a Professional

You’ve worked through the checklist. You’ve cleaned sensors, checked alignment, cleared obstructions, and verified the opener has power. If the door still won’t close, it’s time to call a pro.

Definitely call a professional if:

• You suspect broken springs or cables (never DIY these)
• The tracks are visibly bent or damaged
• The opener motor runs but the door doesn’t move
• You smell burning or see sparks from the opener
• The door is hanging at an angle or off track
• Wiring is damaged, frayed, or chewed
• You’ve tried everything in this guide and the door still won’t close

At Advanced Door, we diagnose the problem and give you a free estimate before any work begins. No surprise charges, no pressure to replace things that don’t need replacing.

Call (844) 971-3667 – we serve Logan, Ogden, Draper, Salt Lake City, and all of Northern Utah.

Preventing Future “Won’t Close” Problems

Most garage door closing problems are preventable with basic maintenance:

• Clean sensor lenses every 3-4 months (more often in dusty Utah summers)
• Test the auto-reverse monthly by placing a 2×4 flat on the ground under the door – it should reverse on contact
• Keep the track area clear of boxes, tools, and debris
• Lubricate rollers and hinges twice a year with silicone-based lubricant
• Check weather stripping before winter – cracked seals allow ice buildup at the threshold
• Inspect sensor wiring for rodent damage before winter (especially in rural Utah)
• Replace remote batteries annually rather than waiting for them to die

Pro Tip: If your door starts acting up intermittently – closing fine one day, reversing the next – don’t ignore it. Intermittent problems almost always get worse, and the root cause is usually easier (and cheaper) to fix when caught early.

For a complete maintenance guide, see: Garage Door Repair in Utah.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: My garage door won’t close and the light is blinking. What does that mean?

A: A blinking opener light almost always indicates a sensor issue. The sensors are either misaligned, dirty, blocked, or have a wiring problem. Start by cleaning the sensor lenses and checking for obstructions. If the light blinks a specific number of times, check your opener’s manual – different blink codes indicate different problems.

Q: Why does my garage door close when I hold the wall button but not with the remote?

A: Holding the wall button overrides the safety sensors. This means the sensors are detecting an obstruction (real or false). Clean the lenses, check alignment, and look for anything blocking the beam. Once the sensor issue is resolved, the remote will work normally.

Q: Can cold weather cause my garage door not to close?

A: Yes. Utah’s cold weather affects garage doors in several ways: frost or ice on sensor lenses blocks the beam, ice at the threshold triggers the auto-reverse, metal components contract and affect travel limits, and lubricant thickens and causes sluggish operation. Most cold-weather closing problems are solved by cleaning sensors and clearing ice.

Q: How do I close my garage door manually if the opener isn’t working?

A: Pull the red manual release handle hanging from the opener rail. This disconnects the door from the opener, allowing you to lift and lower it by hand. The door will be heavy (150-300 pounds), so use caution. Make sure the door is in the closed position before re-engaging the opener.

Q: Why does my garage door reverse halfway down?

A: The two most likely causes are: (1) the safety sensors detect something in the path (clean and align them), or (2) the close limit is set incorrectly, causing the opener to think the door has hit an obstruction. Try adjusting the close limit in small increments.

Q: Do I need to replace my garage door opener if it won’t close the door?

A: Usually not. Most “won’t close” problems are caused by sensors, limit settings, or obstructions – not the opener itself. If the opener motor runs, responds to buttons, and moves the door in the open direction, the opener is probably fine. Only consider replacement if the opener is over 15 years old and having multiple recurring issues.

Q: How much does it cost to fix a garage door that won’t close?

A: It depends on the cause. Sensor cleaning and alignment are often simple fixes. Spring or cable replacement, track repair, or opener issues are more involved. Call Advanced Door at (844) 971-3667 for a free estimate – we’ll tell you exactly what’s needed and what it’ll cost before any work begins.

Q: What areas do you serve for garage door repair?

A: Advanced Door serves all of Northern Utah including Logan, North Logan, Hyde Park, Smithfield, Brigham City, Tremonton, Ogden, Layton, Kaysville, Salt Lake City, Sandy, Draper, and surrounding communities. We also serve Preston, Idaho and parts of Southern Idaho and Western Wyoming.

Get Your Garage Door Closing Again

A garage door that won’t close puts your home at risk – from weather, from pests, and from security threats. In Utah, where winter temperatures can drop below zero and summer dust coats everything in sight, a functioning garage door isn’t optional – it’s essential.

Most closing problems have straightforward causes and fixes. Start with the sensors, work through the checklist in this guide, and if you hit a wall, we’re here to help.

Call Advanced Door at (844) 971-3667 for a free estimate.

Serving Logan, Ogden, Draper, and all of Northern Utah.

Same-day service available. Honest diagnostics. No surprises.

Current offers: $100 off any new garage door | 10% off any service call

(Cannot be combined. Call for details.)