How to Fix a Garage Door That Keeps Reversing

Check the small LED lights on the safety sensors at the bottom of the garage door track. Both lights should be illuminated. Wipe off the eye lens if one of the LEDs is not illuminating. Loosen the wing nut securing the safety sensor eye that is not illuminating to its mounting bracket. Move the eye up and down as necessary until the LED illuminates steadily. Tighten the wing nut to secure the safety sensor.

Inspect the door springs to ensure they are not broken. Broken springs cause the full weight of the door to apply to the door opener arm, resulting in the opener reversing direction. If you have broken springs, contact a door service provider to replace the spring. Garage doors are heavy, and should not be operated with broken springs.

Pull the emergency release cord to disconnect the garage door arm trolley from the opener carriage assembly, just as you would if the power went out. Operate the door manually to ensure it is not binding in the tracks. If the door binds during travel, tap the back of the track bracket nearest the binding area with a hammer. This usually gives enough room to unbind the door. If the door continues to bind, contact a door service professional to make adjustments to springs or major adjustments to the door track.

Reconnect the garage door trolley to the opener carriage, if the door is not binding anywhere. Position a step ladder at the back of the garage door opener and find the down force limit adjustment. The down force limit adjustment is usually near the two limit screws.

Turn the down force adjustment screw 1/8 turn clockwise with a flat-head screwdriver. Operate the garage door opener with either a remote control or the wall switch. Allow the door to open and close a complete cycle. Continue adjusting the down force as necessary until the door closes without reversing.