What to Do if You Backed Into Your Garage Door

There you are, rushing to get the groceries home only to make a mistake shifting your car into park. The next thing you know, you’ve backed into the garage door and now there’s a sizable dent that you need to fix. Once you’ve ensured you and everyone in the vehicle is okay, you’ll want to follow these five steps to taking care of your garage door.

1. Make Sure Everyone Is Okay

The first and most important thing you need to do is make sure everyone is okay. Even minor bumps like backing into a garage door can lead to injuries. Take care of yourself and your loved ones first, and the garage door can wait for later.

2. Inspect the Door

While it may be tempting to see if the garage door opens right away, don’t; you should inspect the damage from the inside and outside first.

Start with the outside where the impact was and see what type of damage occurred to the surface of both the garage door and your vehicle. After that, head into the garage from the home rather than opening it to inspect the damage. If you hit the garage from the inside, pull the car forward enough to see both the back of the vehicle and the door.

You don’t want to open the door right away on the off chance that the door isn’t aligned with the rails anymore. If they aren’t aligned, don’t open the garage door, as opening it could cause the garage door to come down on you.

3. Document the Damage

While you backed into the garage door itself, there could be damage to all parts of the system. When you consider how long garage door openers last—10 to 15 years on average—you might not be pressed to check on it. Still, you should safely check the rails, door, and garage opener for anything that seems out of place. This will help your local garage repair company know where to start.

Take pictures of any damage done to your car. To help give the company a solid idea of what type of dent to expect, measure across the dent with measuring tape. If you know what type of material your door is, you should also relay this information.

Taking pictures of the damage is a good idea especially if you plan to go through your insurance to pay for repairs. 

4. Check if It’s Operable Manually

If everything checks out beside the door itself, you can attempt to open the garage door manually. Don’t try to force it open, as this could lead to further problems with the system.

Don’t use your automatic garage door opener because it might force it open and cause damage to the entire system. These openers pull with about the same force as you would, but it might not have a system in place to stop pulling, unlike you.

If the accident involved a high level of force on the door, the automatic opener may have extensive damage, which is another reason not to try using the opener. If you need a new unit in addition to the door repairs, the garage door opener installation cost is about $400 on average. 

5. Contact a Garage Door Pro

Who fixes garage doors? Any local garage door installation company or a garage repair professional should be able to fix your garage door.

Calling a pro for help with this problem is a smart idea vs. trying a DIY fix. Should the door fall or collapse while you are working, you could suffer serious injuries.

Additionally, the hardware that is part of the garage door—such as rollers, springs, cables, and tracks—consists of sharp metal. Many of these parts, especially the springs and cables, carry a lot of tension. If one of these items gives way while you are working on it, you could get hurt.

A pro is especially helpful if you need to file a claim with your insurance company. Based on the estimated cost for repair or replacement that the professional provides, you can decide whether it’s worth filing an insurance claim or paying for the repairs out of pocket.  

Does Insurance Cover Backing Into a Garage Door?

Your homeowner’s insurance may cover the damage to the garage door if you back into it accidentally. If the insurer determines that you or someone else caused the damage on purpose, it will not cover your broken garage door’s repair or replacement cost.

If you have a detached garage, you may need a special rider on your homeowner’s policy that covers this structure and its garage door.  

The extent of the damage and your own comfort level will determine where you go from here.  Simple dents and repairs on your garage door will likely come in at less than a deductible, whereas big jobs, such as a new door and any structural repairs, may come in cheaper with homeowners insurance. Use your best judgment and do what feels right to you.

How Much Does It Cost to Repair a Garage Door After Backing Into It?

It’s not entirely possible to predict what kind of damage you’re in for if you back a car into your garage door. The damage could be minimal or major—as could your garage door repair cost after the damage—often based on how fast the car was going when it made impact. 

The most common costs for any damage that occurs after you back into your garage door include:

• Dented or broken panels: On average, replacing a garage door panel costs between $350 and $700 during normal business hours. Emergency services may require an extra fee of around $50 to $100.

• Misaligned rollers: Replacing a series of damaged rollers likely will cost between $110 and $230. Sometimes, replacing broken garage door panels may put the rollers back into alignment, as long as they aren’t bent. 

• Damaged tracks: A new track costs about $100, although your repair cost could be less if you only need to replace a section or two.

Surface level damage won’t make or break how your garage door functions, but issues with the rollers or tracks can compromise how safe it is to open and close your garage.

If there’s a large dent that won’t come out easily, you may need to buy a new garage door entirely. There are a few tips for buying a new garage door you’ll want to consider, such as learning what type of material you want and figuring out if the door will work with your existing garage system. The garage door replacement cost is about $1,250, on average.

Jouviane Alexandre contributed to this piece.