Garage Door Cable Repair

Signs of a Failing Cable

• The door hangs crooked or uneven on one side
• You can see a frayed or visibly damaged cable near the bottom bracket
• A loud snap followed by the door refusing to move
• The door moves jerkily or gets stuck partway

Why Cables Fail

Cables lift the door in coordination with the springs, and they wear out from the same repeated tension and friction over years of use. The most common causes are fraying from normal wear, damage to the drum the cable winds around, and spring tension that’s out of balance — which puts uneven stress on one cable.

Cable vs. Spring — What’s Actually Broken

A broken spring usually means the door won’t lift at all and feels extremely heavy. A broken or slipped cable more often shows up as a door hanging crooked, or one side dropping lower than the other. A technician will check both — a cable replaced without checking spring balance often fails again quickly.

Cost Factors

Cable repair typically runs $150–$350. It’s common practice to replace both cables together, even if only one has failed, since they wear at a similar rate. See our full cost breakdown.

Safety Warning

Do not attempt to replace garage door cables yourself. They’re connected to springs under significant tension, and handling them without the right tools and training is a genuine injury risk.

Corrosion and Wear in South Florida

Cables are typically galvanized steel, which resists rust but isn’t immune to it. In a humid climate like South Florida’s, cables can corrode faster than in drier regions — often invisibly, until the cable finally gives out under normal tension.