How to Fix a Garage Door When It Becomes Detached

Press the button to open and close the garage door. If your pulley and cable system came loose from the garage door arm, but the pulley and cable is still on track, opening and closing the door moves the pulley and cable system back down to the hook on the door arm. Sometimes the pulley and cable system will reconnect to the hook on its own, fixing the problem.

Press the garage door opener until the pulley and cable system moves down into the "Closed" position. Climb on a stepladder and re-hook the pulley and cable system to the garage door arm.

Inspect your garage door's track. If your garage door uses a double-track, inspect both tracks. Dents in the door's tracks can prevent the pulley and cable system from lifting your door past a certain point. Hammer out any dents you find in your garage door track.

Unscrew the garage door arm if the arm comes off the track. Press the garage door opener until the cable and pulley system is in the "Down" position. Re-align the garage door arm with the track and the cable and pulley system. Screw the garage door arm back in place over the track.

Examine the garage door track for obstructions. Obstructions prevent the pulley and cable system from being able to pull your door upward along the track. Remove any obstructions lodged in the door's tracks.

Wipe down the garage door tracks and rollers with a washcloth dampened with a household cleanser. Dry the tracks with a paper towel. Apply garage door lubricant to the tracks and rollers. Proper lubrication helps your garage door move along the tracks