Guides and Tips

Why Garage Door Tracks Bend and How to Fix Them

May 13, 2025
6:52 pm

Introduction

Your garage door tracks are a very important component, and they help guide your door while it is being raised or lowered. But, over time, those tracks can become bent, making the door not work or simply get stuck. Not fixing bent tracks can cause even bigger problems and damage other parts of the system as well. Thankfully, knowing what causes garage door tracks to bend in the first place and how they can be repaired will save you an enormous amount of time, expense, and headache.

Play At Affordable Garage Door Repair, we’ve helped many homeowners get their garage doors working again. Read on as we look at the most common bent garage door tracks, and how you can safely repair them in this handy guide.

1. Why Garage Door Tracks Bend

There are many reasons why garage door tracks become bent. Discovering the root cause is critical to ensure the issue does not occur again post-repairs.

1. Accidental Impact

The most common causes for tracks going off the rails are accidental hits. Damage can be caused by a vehicle bumping into the door or track, heavy tools falling on the track, and objects stored too close. How to prevent this: Pay attention when you park near a garage door and make sure not to put heavy items (like bicycles) near the tracks.

2. Worn or Broken Rollers:

The door is guided in the tracks by rollers. Worn-out, damaged, or misaligned rollers can put unnecessary pressure on your tracks in certain spots and eventually cause them to curve. Prevention Tip: The tracks take most of the day to break, but if you replace your roller while it's worn it can slightly bend and cause stress on the track.

3. Poor Track Alignment:

Improperly installed or tracked that goes out of alignment over time can prevent the proper distribution of weight. This imbalance forces the door to stretch over its tracks and, eventually bend them. Prevention Tip: Keep your tracks aligned and tightened to prevent misalignment.

4. Rust and Corrosion:

Garage Door Tracks: In humid climates or coastal areas steel garage door tracks can rust. The metal becomes weaker with rust causing the track to bend or break more easily. Prevention Tip: Check your tracks frequently for signs of rusting, and clean them out using a rust-removal fluid to retain their structural integrity.

5. Overloaded Door:

If your garage door is heavier than both the tracks can support -- by, say, adding insulation that's too heavy for it to handle. Prevention Tip: Ensure your setup meets the minimum power standards for doors of that weight, especially if you add insulation which will increase the amount of lifting work.

2. Indicators Of Garage Door Tracks In Need of repair

Tracking issues — Catch misaligned tracks early on to avoid further damage. Some symptoms that can point out a bent track problem in your garage door.

If you see any of these signs, check your tracks and consider repairing them.

3. How to Fix a Bent Garage Door Track

Minor bends can sometimes be fixed at home, but serious damage usually needs to be taken in for repairs so that the door will continue working safely. How to Fix Bent Garage Door Tracks

1. Assess the Damage

Check the tracks first to see if there are any damages before you bring out your toolbox and unplug it. If the bend is minor and does not impact the aluminum structure in a larger part, try to repair it yourself. If the track is badly twisted, out of alignment, or heavily damaged — your best bet is to call in a pro.

2. Gather the Necessary Tools

Here are the tools you will need if you decide to try some minor repairs on your own: pliers, a rubber mallet or hammer, a wrench set, a level, and WD-40 or a silicone-based lubricant.

3. Disconnect the Opener

Before starting, make sure the garage door opener is stable and safe to use (pull down on the emergency release cord). That way you can push the door down by hand without using the motor.

4. Manually Adjust the Track

Use gentle pressure to straighten the metal bend with pliers. Use a rubber mallet or hammer to gently knock the track back into shape for bigger bends. Also, you should wear gloves and safety glasses while doing this.

5. Check Track Alignment

Straighten out the bent area and check if all other tracks are correctly aligned using a level. If the tracks aren't aligned with each other or vertical, loosen all of their mounting brackets and gently tap toward one another until you have straightened your sections.

6. Tighten the Brackets

When all the brackets and bolts of the track are parallel to each other then you need to screw everything tightly together.

7. Tracks and Rollers Lubrication

Smooth the operation and avoid future friction with some silicone-based lubricant on those same tracks and rollers.

8. Test the Door

Remount the opener and give the door a test open/close. If it works fine without sticking or any funny sound open the door and close it a couple of times.

4. When to Call a Professional

Any minor bends can be straightened out using simple tools, however, if the track is heavily damaged then there may be a need for professional help. While most garage door bends can be fixed at home, if the bend is severe or you are not confident in your abilities, then hire a professional technician to avoid further complications.

Track repairs and replacements at Affordable Garage Door Repair Our skilled technicians can evaluate the damage, realign or exchange tracks and your garage door will operate safely again.

5. Re-contouring To Prevent Further Track Damage.

To keep from having bent tracks, here are a few things to follow:
1. Look At Your Tracks For Wear, Rust, Imbalance & More: Check your tracks for all these and test the balance of your door.
2. Regularly Scheduled Lubrication: Every few months lubricate the tracks and rollers to ensure friction is minimized.
3. Clear the Area - Do not stack heavy items near the tracks and make sure to park your vehicle cautiously if running by a door.
4. Upgrade Parts: If you are having a lot of problems, such as the need for new tracks replace them with rollers and have your opener upgraded to reduce tension.

Conclusion

Collapsed or bent garage door tracks are a serious issue that causes your door to operate with no smoothness at all. Dents resulting from accidental impact, rust, or off-line track require immediate attention to avoid deteriorating the entire garage door system. Some small bends can be fixed yourself, but major damage will need to be repaired for the garage door opener system to work properly and safely.
We specialize in track repair and replacement at Affordable Garage Door Repair. Simply give us a call today to schedule an appointment and let our expert technicians fix your tracks in no time.