The door is off its track

What has probably happened

• Something struck the door — usually a vehicle bumper.
• A cable snapped on one side and let that side drop.
• Rollers have worn out or come out of the track.
• The track itself is bent, loose at the bracket, or came away from the wall.
• The door was run while an obstruction was underneath it.

What the technician does

• The door is secured before anything else, so it cannot come down while it is worked on.
• Rollers, hinges and track re-set or replaced where they are bent.
• Cables re-strung and the drums re-seated so both sides carry evenly.
• The whole door re-squared and rebalanced, then run through a full cycle.
• The technician will tell you honestly if a panel is damaged beyond a sensible repair.

Questions people ask

Is it safe to leave it until tomorrow?

Leave it alone and keep people and cars out from under it. If it is stuck open and the garage is not secure, say so when you call — that moves the job up.

Will the whole door need replacing?

Usually not. Most off-track doors are re-set, with the rollers and any bent track replaced. A door with badly creased panels or a bent top section is a different conversation, and the technician will show you why.

My car hit it. Does insurance cover this?

That is between you and your insurer. What the technician can give you is a written description of the damage and the repair.