Fix it
Garage door closes then opens again
The door is doing exactly what it was designed to do: it thinks it has hit something. Every opener made since 1993 must reverse if it meets resistance or loses the sensor beam. The job is finding what it is meeting, and it is usually one of four things.
Do this first
Watch where it reverses. Right at the floor points at the down limit or the close force. Partway down points at the track or the sensors.
Need it today?
MF Garage Doors
Door stuck, spring gone, car trapped — ring, do not fill in a form.
Call (863) 592-2143Repairs and service within 40 miles of Sebring — Avon Park, Lake Placid, Wauchula, Arcadia, Lake Wales, Bartow, Frostproof and Winter Haven.
New doors and replacements across central Florida — Tampa, Orlando, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Kissimmee, Clermont, and everywhere between.
3 of 4 are yours to fix
What it usually turns out to be
| Cause | How to tell | What happens next | Yours? |
|---|---|---|---|
| The down limit is set too far | It touches the floor, then opens. Sensor lights stay steady throughout. | The opener is still pushing after the door has landed and reads that as an obstruction. Back the down-travel setting off. | Yes |
| The close force is set too low | It reverses at different points, and more so in cold weather when the door is stiffer. | Force adjustment on the opener head. It should be set to the minimum that closes reliably, never wound up to force a binding door shut. | Yes |
| The sensors are drifting out of line | It is intermittent and the sensor LED flickers as the door passes. | Realign and tighten both. A loose bracket moves every time the door runs. | Yes |
| The door is binding on the track | It reverses at the same spot every time and sounds strained there. | Track and rollers. Winding the force up to beat it is how panels get bent. | Call somebody |
What it costs
$95 – $175
For a sensor alignment or replacement. National guide range, checked September 2026 — get it in writing.
Other faults
The repair
What actually happens on the visit
- Treats it as what it is — the safety system doing its job — and finds out which half is triggering.
- Checks the sensors first: alignment, lenses, and whether the light steadies.
- Checks the down limit. A door told to travel too far hits the floor, reads it as an obstruction, and reverses. This is the cause people never guess.
- Checks the close force, which is the third possibility and the one to adjust LAST, because turning it up to mask an obstruction is how a door closes on something it should have stopped for.
- Runs the reverse test against a solid object afterwards, every time.
How long it takes. Twenty minutes to an hour. It is an adjustment job rather than a parts job in most cases.
Next time
Can you stop it happening again?
Partly. Keeping the threshold clear and the sensors clean covers the common causes. A limit that has drifted is just age, and it is what an annual tune-up catches.