Why your garage door won't close
Updated 2026-01-16 TroubleshootingSensorsDIY
A door that will not close is the most common call we take after broken springs, and unlike springs, there is a decent chance you can fix it yourself in ten minutes. Work through these in order.
1. Blocked or misaligned photo eyes
Start here, because it is the answer most of the time. Two small sensors sit about six inches above the floor on each track. They must see each other in an unbroken line. Both should show a steady indicator light. A blinking light means the beam is broken. Look for cobwebs, a bin, a bike wheel, a coiled hose or low winter sun shining directly into the receiver. Wipe both lenses with a dry cloth.
2. Knocked sensor bracket
The brackets bend easily and a knee or a vacuum cleaner is enough. Loosen the wing nut, sight along the beam so both units point directly at each other, and retighten. It is fiddly and the light going steady is your confirmation.
3. Damaged or stapled sensor wire
Follow the thin wire from each sensor back toward the opener. Look for staples driven through it, chewed insulation, or a connection pulled loose at the terminal. A partially shorted sensor wire produces exactly the same behaviour as a blocked beam.
4. Close-force set too sensitive
If the sensors are clean and steady but the door still reverses, the opener may be reading normal friction as an obstruction. There is a close-force adjustment on the opener head. Increase it in very small increments, and after each change test with a 2x4 laid flat on the floor: the door must still reverse on contact. If it does not, you have gone too far and the door is now unsafe.
5. Down-limit set too far
If the door reaches the floor and then immediately bounces back up, the opener thinks it has further to travel, pushes into the concrete and reads the resistance as an obstruction. Shorten the down-travel limit slightly.
6. Ice or debris at the bottom seal
Very common in Michigan. Meltwater runs under the door, refreezes overnight and bonds the rubber seal to the slab. The opener strains, fails to move it and reverses. Chip the ice free carefully, dry the slab, and check whether the seal has split. A perished bottom seal will do this every cold night until it is replaced.
7. Something in the track
Look along both vertical tracks for a dent, a bent section or a roller sitting at an odd angle. A door that is beginning to come off track will bind partway down. Do not keep running the opener; that is what turns a roller fix into a bent-track replacement. See cable and off-track repair.
8. The lock or a stuck wall button
Some doors have a manual slide lock that can be partially engaged. Some wall consoles have a vacation or lock mode that disables remotes and the close function; a button held down by something leaning against it does the same thing. Check both.
What not to do
Do not disable, bypass or tape over the photo-eye sensors to force the door shut. They exist because garage doors used to kill children. If the sensors are faulty, replace them; they are inexpensive.
If none of this moves it, the fault is likely the logic board, the opener's travel module or something mechanical in the door itself. Our garage door repair and opener repair teams cover every city in Michigan, and a stuck-open door counts as an emergency.
Need a hand with this? We cover every city in Michigan, seven days a week. Call (888) 904-6236 or request a callback.