Car stuck inside or door feels unusually heavy?
Stop using it and call — a broken spring or cable is a safety risk.
When your garage door won't open, your first instinct is probably to press the remote a few more times and hope. That works for one cause — a flat battery. For the other six, pressing the remote repeatedly can make things worse. This guide tells you which cause you're dealing with, what you can safely check or fix yourself, and which situations need a technician on-site today.
For fast same-day repairs across the Gold Coast, see our garage door repairs page or call 0434 099 873.
The 7 Causes — Identified by Symptoms
Broken spring
Call a technicianSymptoms
- ·Door opens 5–10 cm then stops
- ·Door feels extremely heavy when lifted manually
- ·Loud bang heard just before the door stopped working
- ·Door sits lower on one side (roller doors)
How to check
Look above the door (when it's closed) for a visible gap in the torsion spring — a coiled spring mounted horizontally above the opening. On roller doors, look for cable slack or a door that sits unevenly.
Do not attempt to touch, adjust, or repair this yourself.
What to do: Springs are under extreme tension. Do not adjust, touch, or attempt to replace them. This is one of the most dangerous DIY attempts in home maintenance.
Motor failure
Call a technicianSymptoms
- ·No sound from the motor unit
- ·Motor clicks once but doesn't engage
- ·Motor hums but door doesn't move
- ·Motor runs but drive gear is stripped
How to check
Press the wall button (not just the remote). If the motor makes no sound at all, check the power — is it plugged in? Is the circuit breaker tripped? If there's power but the motor is silent or makes a clicking sound only, the motor has failed.
What to do: Motor faults range from a simple reset to a full drive gear or board replacement. We inspect before quoting, so you know what's actually needed.
Power issue or tripped breaker
Can check yourselfSymptoms
- ·Neither the remote nor the wall button produces any response
- ·No indicator light on the motor unit
- ·Other garage appliances also without power
How to check
Test another appliance in the garage (lights, a phone charger). If nothing in the garage has power, check your switchboard for a tripped breaker. Reset it by flicking it fully off, then on. Also check that the motor's power cord is seated properly in the wall socket.
What to do: If resetting the breaker doesn't fix it, or if the breaker trips again immediately, call an electrician first, then us.
Remote or battery issue
Can check yourselfSymptoms
- ·Wall button works but remote doesn't
- ·Remote works intermittently
- ·Remote requires multiple presses
How to check
Try the wall button inside the garage. If the wall button works and the remote doesn't, the remote is the problem. Replace the battery first — this solves the issue in the majority of remote-only failures. If the new battery doesn't help, the remote may need reprogramming.
What to do: Battery replacement is safe to do yourself. If that doesn't fix it, we can reprogram or replace the remote — usually a quick, affordable visit.
Door off track
Call a technicianSymptoms
- ·Door is visibly crooked or tilted
- ·Grinding or scraping noise when operating
- ·Rollers visible outside the track channel
- ·Door stops mid-travel with resistance
How to check
If the door is partially open, look at the rollers on each side. If a roller has come out of the track, or a track section is visibly bent away from the wall, the door is off track. You may also notice the door sitting at an angle or binding when operated.
Do not attempt to touch, adjust, or repair this yourself.
What to do: Do not force the door. An off-track door under motor power can buckle panels, damage the motor, or drop suddenly. Stop using it and call.
Snapped cable
Call a technicianSymptoms
- ·Door hangs at an angle
- ·Visible cable on the floor or hanging loose
- ·Door moves on one side only
- ·Grinding or uneven operation
How to check
Look at the vertical cables running from the bottom corners of the door up to the spring drum (or along the sides of a roller door). If a cable is hanging loose, coiled on the floor, or visibly frayed, it has failed. The door may hang lower on the side where the cable broke.
Do not attempt to touch, adjust, or repair this yourself.
What to do: Cables work under spring tension. Never attempt to reattach or adjust them yourself. Call for same-day repair — a door without a cable is a falling-door risk.
Manual release or lock engaged
Can check yourselfSymptoms
- ·Motor runs normally but door doesn't move
- ·Wall button activates the motor but nothing happens
- ·Door was recently used manually or during a power outage
How to check
Check for a manual lock on the inside of the door — a handle or sliding bar that locks the door to the track. If someone locked the door manually, the motor can't override it. Also check whether the emergency release was pulled accidentally — this disconnects the door from the motor.
What to do: Usually fixable yourself. If the release cord was pulled, run the motor to the fully open position, then pull the release cord toward the motor to re-engage. If unsure, call us.
Quick Reference: Check Yourself vs Call a Technician
Safe to check yourself
- ✓Replace remote battery
- ✓Check the power / reset circuit breaker
- ✓Check if the manual lock is engaged
- ✓Re-engage the motor release cord
- ✓Remove visible debris from door tracks
- ✓Clean or re-align sensor lenses near the floor
Always call a technician
- ✗Broken or cracked spring
- ✗Frayed, snapped, or slack cable
- ✗Door off its tracks or sitting at an angle
- ✗Motor drive gear failure
- ✗Any electrical burning smell or sparking
- ✗Door dropped suddenly or feels unstable
If your car is stuck inside or the door feels unusually heavy when you try to lift it manually, stop using the door and call Fortex. A door that feels heavy almost always means a spring has broken — operating it under those conditions risks stripping the motor drive gear and can cause the door to drop suddenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
My garage door opens a few centimetres then stops. What's wrong?
Almost certainly a broken spring. When a spring snaps, the door becomes too heavy for the motor to lift and it stops within the first few centimetres of travel. The door will also feel extremely heavy if you try to lift it manually. Do not keep pressing the remote — this puts strain on the motor. Call a technician for spring replacement.
The motor runs but the door doesn't move. What does that mean?
If you can hear the motor engaging but the door doesn't move, the most likely cause is a stripped drive gear inside the motor — especially common on older motors or motors that have been working against a broken spring. It can also mean a broken spring where the motor is running but the door is too heavy to lift. Both need a technician.
Can I open my garage door manually if the motor isn't working?
Yes, if the door is fully closed. Pull the red emergency release cord hanging from the motor drive rail to disconnect the door from the motor. The door can then be lifted by hand. Important: only do this when the door is fully closed. If the spring is broken, the door will be very heavy — get someone to help, or call us and wait.
My car is stuck inside the garage. How fast can you get there?
For central and southern Gold Coast suburbs (Robina, Burleigh Heads, Palm Beach, Surfers Paradise), we typically arrive within 1–2 hours. Northern suburbs (Coomera, Helensvale, Hope Island) are usually 1–3 hours. Call 0434 099 873 and we'll give you an honest ETA straight away.