Why is my garage door opening on its own?

A garage door that randomly opens by itself is not a common problem, but does occur from

time to time. Garage door openers operate on one of many frequencies and while it is possible

for one of your neighbors remotes to open your garage door, it is highly unlikely. Newer

openers operate on rolling codes making it almost impossible for this to happen,

and even on operators more than ten years old there are 10’s of thousands of codes your operator could

If your remote is more than 10 years old and you live near a military base, then it is possible

that your garage door could be opened by equipment used on the military base. This is again

very unlikely, but possible.

One more likely cause is that the electronic circuit board/logic board inside the opener is

malfunctioning. This malfunctioning could be a factory problem or could have been damaged by

a power surge or during a thunderstorm. If the circuit board/logic board is the issue, you can

replace it, if you can find the right circuit board/logic board for the manufacturer and model

number of your garage door opener. If it is an older model these parts may not be available.

Replacing the circuit board/logic board and reprogramming your remotes will likely solve the issue.

You can also purchase a new external receiver. These receivers connect to the opener with two

wires and then must be plugged into an electrical outlet. On the new receiver there will be a

learn button used to program new remotes. Most external receivers will require new remotes

and will not work with your old remotes. A new receiver may or may not work with your

opener, but it is an option, that will work in many cases.

The other common cause is a faulty remote or a remote that is getting accidentally activated

while in a junk drawer or other location in your home or vehicle. To check your remotes, you

will need to locate all of them, even the extra ones you stuck in a drawer. In some cases a

remote is failing and the button has become weak allowing it to randomly activate the door.

Start by removing the batteries from all of the remotes. One by one replace the batteries. After

you replace the battery in the remote watch the learn button light, the learn button light will

flash when the remote is activated. Try shaking and moving the remote around to see if it

accidentally opens the garage door. If shaking and moving it around doesn’t cause the door to

open, then press the button programmed for the remote to make sure it functions. Do this for

each remote. If you find a faulty remote remove the battery from the remote and replace the

remote. Be sure to test every remote and any wireless keypads for this operator.

If this does not identify the problem then it is likely in the circuit board/logic board of your

If you determine it is the circuit board/logic board, you can try to get a replacement board, if

one is available for your opener. Many times parts are not available for older openers in which

case you will need try to using a new external receiver or replace the opener.

A temporary solution is to unplug the opener from the electrical outlet or to disengage the

garage door from the opener by pulling the red rope or handle that is connected to the

trolley. If you disengage the door remember the door can still be opened manually and

should be locked if your door has a manual lock. These options will keep the garage door

from accidental opening.