You hit the button and your garage door starts moving up, then stops. It sits there, stuck halfway, and your car is either trapped inside or locked out. If you are dealing with a garage door that won’t open all the way, you are not alone. This is one of the most common garage door problems we see across Utah, and it gets worse during the cold months when temperatures in Logan, Ogden, and along the Wasatch Front drop below freezing.

The good news is that some causes are simple fixes you can handle yourself. The bad news is that others involve components under extreme tension that can seriously injure you if handled incorrectly. Knowing the difference matters.

This guide walks through the 10 most common reasons your garage door only opens partway, how to diagnose each one, and whether it is safe to fix yourself or time to call a professional. If you need help now, call Advanced Door at (844) 971-3667 for a free estimate. We serve all of Utah with same-day service available.

Quick Diagnosis: Why Your Garage Door Stops Halfway

Before you start troubleshooting, use this table to narrow down the most likely cause based on what you are seeing.

Now let’s walk through each cause in detail.

1. Broken Torsion or Extension Spring

This is the number one reason a garage door won’t open all the way. Your garage door springs do the heavy lifting – literally. A standard two-car garage door weighs 150 to 250 pounds, and the springs counterbalance that weight so the opener only has to guide the door, not muscle it up.

When a spring breaks, the opener suddenly has to lift the full weight of the door. Most openers are not strong enough to do that. The door will start moving, strain against the weight, and stop partway up.

How to tell: If you heard a loud bang from the garage (it sounds like a gunshot or a car backfiring), that was likely the spring snapping. Look at the spring above your door. A broken torsion spring will have a visible gap in the coil. If you try to lift the door manually, it will feel extremely heavy.

A homeowner in Ogden called us after their door stopped halfway on a January morning. They had heard a loud pop the night before but assumed it was ice falling off the roof. When they tried to leave for work, the door would not go past three feet. Our technician found a snapped torsion spring that had reached the end of its cycle life after 8 years.

2. Snapped or Frayed Cable

Garage door cables work with the springs to control the door’s movement. If a cable snaps, the door loses balance on one side and will either stop partway, open crookedly, or jam in the tracks. You might see one side of the door higher than the other, or a cable hanging loose near the bottom bracket.

Cables fray over time from friction, rust, and the constant stress of daily use. Utah’s dry air and temperature swings accelerate wear, especially in garages that are not climate controlled.

3. Track Obstruction or Misalignment

Your garage door rides on two vertical tracks that curve into horizontal tracks along the ceiling. If anything gets in the way or the tracks shift out of alignment, the door will bind, grind, or stop at the point of the obstruction.

Common track problems include debris buildup (leaves, dirt, small rocks), a bracket that has loosened from the wall, or a track that has been bent from impact (backing into the door or hitting the track with a ladder).

How to tell: Look along the tracks for visible dents, gaps between the track and the wall, or any objects caught in the path. If the door makes a grinding or scraping noise at a specific height every time, the problem is almost certainly in the tracks at that point.

A homeowner in Draper noticed their door was making a scraping sound and stopping about four feet up. They looked at the track and found a small dent where their teenager had bumped it with a bicycle handlebar. The roller was catching on the dent every time the door passed that point.

4. Opener Travel Limit Needs Adjusting

This is one of the most common and easiest fixes. Every garage door opener has travel limit settings that tell it how far the door should move in each direction. If the “up” limit is set too low, the door will stop before it reaches the fully open position. It opens smoothly, there is no grinding or strain, it just stops a few inches short of where it should be.

This happens frequently after a power outage, a new opener installation, or when seasonal temperature changes cause the door and tracks to expand or contract slightly.

How to tell: The door opens smoothly with no unusual sounds, the opener light turns off normally, and the door just stops a consistent distance from the fully open position every time.

5. Dead Remote or Signal Problems

Sometimes the door is not the problem at all. If your remote clicks but the door does not respond, or it responds intermittently, the issue might be the remote itself or signal interference.

How to tell: Try the wall-mounted button inside the garage. If the wall button works normally but the remote does not, the problem is the remote or its signal. If neither works, the issue is the opener or the power supply.

Common remote problems include dead batteries (the most frequent cause), a remote that has been unpaired from the opener, or signal interference from LED light bulbs, a nearby radio tower, or a neighbor’s opener on the same frequency.

6. Safety Sensor Issues

Federal law requires all garage door openers manufactured after 1993 to include safety sensors. These small sensors sit near the floor on each side of the door opening and project an invisible beam between them. If the beam is broken, the opener is designed to stop or reverse the door.

While sensors primarily affect the door closing, some opener models will also limit upward travel if the sensors are malfunctioning or misaligned. The opener may interpret a sensor error as a reason to stop all movement.

How to tell: Check the LED lights on both sensors. On most models, one sensor has a green light (sending) and the other has an amber or red light (receiving). If either light is off, blinking, or dim, the sensor is misaligned or obstructed.

7. Broken Trolley or Carriage

The trolley is the component that connects the opener’s drive mechanism (chain, belt, or screw) to the door itself. It rides along the rail and pulls or pushes the door open and closed. If the trolley breaks or disconnects, the opener will run normally – you will hear the motor and see the chain or belt moving – but the door will not move at all, or it will move only slightly before stopping.

How to tell: If the opener motor runs and the chain or belt moves but the door stays put, the trolley is likely broken or disengaged. Check if someone pulled the emergency release cord (the red handle hanging from the rail). If the cord was pulled, the trolley is disconnected and needs to be re-engaged.

8. Stripped Gear in Opener

Inside your garage door opener is a set of gears that transfer the motor’s power to the drive mechanism. Over time, especially in openers that are working harder than they should (lifting an unbalanced door or a door with worn springs), these gears can strip. When the gears strip, the motor runs but cannot transmit power to move the door.

How to tell: You hear a grinding or whirring sound from the opener motor, but the chain or belt barely moves or does not move at all. The motor sounds like it is working hard but accomplishing nothing. This is different from a trolley problem because with stripped gears, the chain or belt will not move either.

9. Frozen or Weather-Stuck Door

If you live in Utah, you have dealt with this. When temperatures drop below freezing, moisture at the bottom of the door can freeze and literally glue the door to the concrete floor. The opener strains against the ice, the safety features kick in, and the door stops partway up – or will not move at all.

This is especially common along the Wasatch Front and in Cache Valley, where overnight temperatures regularly dip into the single digits or below zero during January and February. Draper and Sandy are not immune either, especially during inversions when cold air settles and stays.

10. Door Off Track

A garage door that has come off its tracks is one of the more serious problems on this list. The door may look crooked in the opening, with one side higher than the other, or you may see rollers sitting outside the track instead of inside it. An off-track door can happen from a broken cable, a track that was hit and bent, or worn-out rollers that no longer stay seated in the track.

When to DIY vs. When to Call a Pro

Here is the simple rule: if the problem involves springs, cables, or the door being off track, call a professional. These components are under extreme tension and can cause serious injury.

Safe to DIY:

• Replacing remote batteries
• Reprogramming remotes
• Adjusting travel limit settings
• Cleaning sensor lenses and realigning sensors
• Clearing debris from tracks
• Thawing a frozen door seal
• Re-engaging the trolley after the emergency release was pulled

Call a professional:

• Broken torsion or extension springs
• Snapped or frayed cables
• Bent or misaligned tracks
• Stripped opener gears
• Door off track
• Any situation where the door feels much heavier than normal
• Any repair you are not 100% confident performing safely

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my garage door only open a few inches then stop?

The most common cause is a broken torsion spring. When a spring breaks, the opener cannot lift the full weight of the door and the safety features stop it after a few inches of travel. Less commonly, this can be caused by a travel limit set too low or a stripped gear in the opener.

Can I open my garage door manually if it is stuck halfway?

You can try, but only after disconnecting the opener by pulling the red emergency release cord. If the door is extremely heavy to lift by hand, a spring is likely broken and you should not force it. If the door lifts easily by hand, the problem is likely with the opener rather than the door itself.

How much does it cost to fix a garage door that won’t open all the way?

It depends on the cause. A travel limit adjustment is free if you do it yourself. Remote battery replacement is under $10. Spring replacement typically runs $150 to $450 depending on the spring type and door size. Cable replacement is usually $150 to $300. Call Advanced Door at (844) 971-3667 for a free estimate on your specific situation.

Why does my garage door get stuck in cold weather?

In Utah, the most common cold-weather cause is the door seal freezing to the concrete floor. Moisture gets under the seal during the day and freezes overnight. The opener tries to lift against the ice and the safety system stops the door. Metal tracks and hardware also contract in extreme cold, which can cause additional binding.

Is it dangerous to use my garage door if it only opens halfway?

It can be. A door that is not fully supported by its springs or cables can fall unexpectedly. If the door is off track, it is particularly dangerous. Do not drive under a door that is stuck partway open, and do not let children play near it. Get it repaired before resuming normal use.

How do I know if my garage door spring is broken?

The most obvious sign is a loud bang from the garage, followed by the door being very heavy to lift manually. Look at the torsion spring above the door – a broken spring will have a visible gap in the coil. If the door was working fine yesterday and suddenly will not open today, a broken spring is the most likely cause. See our spring replacement guide for more details.

My garage door opens crooked. What is wrong?

A door that opens unevenly is usually caused by a broken cable on one side, a broken spring on one side (if your door uses extension springs), or the door being off track on one side. All three of these are professional repairs. Do not attempt to force the door straight.

How often should I have my garage door serviced to prevent problems?

Once a year is the industry recommendation. A professional tune-up includes lubricating all moving parts, checking spring tension and balance, inspecting cables for fraying, tightening hardware, and testing the safety features. Annual maintenance catches small problems before they leave you stuck in your driveway on a cold morning.