A garage door going off track is among the most commonly reported garage door problems. It’s also one of the leading reasons behind garage door malfunctions.

Note that it’s quite challenging to operate a garage door once it has gone off track. You can only imagine the inconvenience if this happens when you’re just about to head off to work.

As with other common garage door issues, multiple reasons can cause your garage door to go off track. Fortunately, each problem has an effective solution.

Below are the top five reasons garage doors usually go off track and the interventions for each problem.

1.      Intense Impact

Intense impact happens when you hurry and pull in or back out of your garage before the door is completely open. The impact typically results from your vehicle’s roof hitting the garage door mid-opening.

In most cases, the damage happens to the lower sections of the garage door. But depending on the impact, the entire door system may be shaken up.

It’s important to point out that you don’t have to be driving at high speeds to cause severe damage to a garage door. Sometimes a subtle impact is all it takes to knock a few rollers off their tracks, leaving the entire panel hanging precariously from the lift cables. 

Maybe you’ve always wondered why did my garage door come off its tracks? Well, as we’ve just indicated, one of the reasons is hitting the door accidentally with your car. But perhaps the key thing to note here is how to fix the problem.

Solution: It’s best to call a garage door specialist immediately when you’ve inadvertently knocked the door off tracks. Do not attempt to repair the door yourself, no matter how subtle the damage may seem. Your lack of expertise might only worsen the situation.

The garage door technician will inspect the damage and then issue you a quote depending on the expected scope of repair work.

2.      Roller Wear and Tear

Garage door rollers sit at the edge of the door, right along the tracks. Their purpose is to pull the door along with them. So, it’s clear why a problem with these mobile components can quickly cripple the entire garage door.

Since rollers perform the most important function in pulling a garage door open and shut, they’re part of a garage door most susceptible to wear and tear.

A deterioration of the rollers can cause them to wobble or freeze in place, throwing the door off the tracks.

It may be intuitive to ignore one malfunctioning roller, arguing that it will not impact the garage door’s functionality. But remember that rollers work in sync. So, one faulty roller will eventually impair the others, ultimately paralyzing the door’s entire system.

Solution: Regular greasing is a proactive way to keep rollers working in crisp condition. This is especially recommended for a long vacation and right before winter rolls in.

Routine inspections may also clue you in on the rollers needing replacement.

3.      Broken Lift Cable

Garage door lift cables are common in extension and torsion spring door systems. They gently help lift and lower the garage door.

According to the design of most garage doors, lift cables are typically found on each side of the door. The cables wind around a drum attached to a steel shaft. They can vary considerably in length depending on the size of the garage door and the drums around which they wind.

It’s quite rare for lift cables to break. But the consequences can be disastrous when they do. Most instances of lift cable breakages are common in old garage doors or doors that haven’t been used for a while.

A disturbance in the door’s alignment can misalign the cables in the drums. Without urgent intervention, the affected cable may give in to pressure and break without warning.

Solution: Fixing a broken lift cable is a hazardous exercise that requires a professional. Never repair the cable or even operate the door until the issue is addressed.

Most importantly, call a professional garage door technician immediately. Remember that a breakage of lift cables shifts the entire weight of the garage door to one side. Letting the problem go unaddressed for long will cause the cables on the other side to lose their tension as well.

4.      Misaligned Track

A garage door is meant to run along a straight track. Therefore, any misalignment in the path is bound to knock the doors off-track.

Age-related wear and tear is the primary cause of garage door misalignments. However, the problem may also result from intense impact and low-quality tracks. And as you may have guessed, the risks are higher for frequently-used garage doors.

Now, garage door tracks do not get misaligned overnight. The problem develops as the bolts holding the horizontal tracks gradually fall apart. This causes the brackets to wobble whenever the door vibrates.

One of the most significant issues with misaligned tracks is that they can increase the risks of rollers coming off the tracks, aggravating the situation.

Solution: Inspect your garage door regularly for early detection and fixing of misaligned tracks.

It’s also prudent to insist on doors whose tracks are made from durable materials, such as high-grade steel.

5.      Obstruction in the Track

Among the many reasons behind garage doors coming out of the track, this is probably the one you can somewhat fix without professional help.

Several objects could obstruct your garage door track.

For instance, small farm implements might accidentally fall into the tracks and get pulled along with the rollers. Large holes in your garage door might also attract vermin into the garage. These critters may go on the garage door tracks, causing their dried droppings to block the tracks.

There’s also winter’s ice to be worried about, especially when you allow water to freeze along the garage door tracks.

Solution: Routine inspection is the best preventive for garage door track obstruction. Clear the tracks of any dislodged debris and objects.

Investing in the best ice melt salts can also make a massive difference if the obstruction is due to winter ice.

Summary

It’s not unusual for a garage door to come off track. But the resultant situation can be dangerous if not urgently addressed. That underscores the importance of seeking professional help immediately after you notice the subtlest signs of misalignment.

Urgent intervention is vital in restoring your garage’s functionality while keeping opportunistic burglars at bay.

Author Bio

A professionally trained electrician, Rebecca has spent the last decade reading and writing romance novels giving her characters a palpable spark! She also loves to write in her free time and her recent articles on Elite Garage Door & Gate Repair.