The opener is trying, the door is not moving
Every extra press of the button strains the motor and the top panel. Stop pressing and get it looked at.
What is probably happening
- The opener's trolley has disconnected from the door (the release cord was pulled, or the carriage broke). The motor runs but nothing is attached to it.
- The main drive gear inside the opener has stripped. Common on older chain drive units. You hear the motor, the chain does not move.
- The door itself is stuck: frozen to the floor in winter, a manual lock or slide bolt is engaged, or something is jammed in the track.
- A spring can be broken without you having heard it. If the door feels very heavy when you try to lift it by hand, treat it as a broken spring.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Unplug the opener so nobody keeps trying it.
- Check for a manual lock, slide bolt, or padlock on the door. Unlock it.
- In freezing weather, check whether the bottom seal is frozen to the slab. Break the ice with warm water, not force.
- With the door fully closed, pull the red release cord, then lift the door by the handle. If it lifts easily and stays up on its own, the door is fine and the opener is the problem. If it is very heavy, stop, lower it gently, and go to the broken spring advice.
- Look at the trolley on the rail above the door. If it is sitting away from the door arm, the opener is simply disconnected.
Do not
- Do not pull the release cord with the door open. Chamberlain: use it only when the door is fully closed.
- Do not force a frozen or locked door with the opener. That bends the top panel and strips the gear.
- Do not lift the door by putting fingers between the sections. DASMA: use the handles or safe gripping points.
Who to call
A garage door technician
The same company services doors and openers. An electrician is only needed if the outlet itself is dead.
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What it should cost
$100 to $500
Opener repair, including $180 to $400 for a motor replacement and $100 to $400 for a chain replacement with labor
Source: Angi, garage door repair cost, updated August 2026. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the garage doors page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- Is the door balanced and the springs sound, or is the opener the only problem?
- Is it a gear and sprocket repair, or are you recommending a new opener? If new, why, and what does the repair alone cost?
- What is the total including the service call?
End the call if
- A new opener recommended without opening the old one. Angi puts motor replacement at $180 to $400, well below an installed new unit.
- A rebuild of springs, cables and rollers added to an opener fault with no visible damage. Angi lists this rebuilding package as a common scam.