LiftMaster garage door opener: Code 3-5: 3 UP flashes, 5 DOWN flashes
On the wall-mounted jackshaft models, the cable tension monitor sensed slack in a door cable, which LiftMaster treats as a safety hazard. The door reverses to open while it is closing.
Applies to: LiftMaster and Chamberlain Security+ 2.0 and Security+ 3.0 openers with UP and DOWN arrows; codes 3-5 and 5-5 only on the wall-mounted jackshaft models 8500W/RJO70, 98022/RJO101 and 98032. What you see: the UP and DOWN arrows, 3 UP flashes, then 5 DOWN flashes.
Covers Chamberlain openers too: the two brands share one published table, so each code has one page here.
What LiftMaster says to do
- LiftMaster says: if a cable looks loose, frayed, damaged or off its drum, stop using the garage door and contact a professional.
- LiftMaster says to check whether the cable tension monitor has come unplugged from the logic board, reconnect it if so, and look over its wiring for damage.
LiftMaster’s page also checks the monitor’s roller position against the installation manual.
LiftMaster warns: do not loosen, adjust or remove garage door cables; they are under high tension and can cause serious injury.
LiftMaster’s safety line: “Never adjust or loosen the door’s springs, cables, pulleys, or brackets yourself, they’re under extreme tension.” Where a spring, cable or balance problem shows up, its page says to stop and contact a local garage door professional.
No repair advice of our own. The steps above are only LiftMaster’s, as its page states them; semiatic gives no repair instructions of its own. For anything beyond them, LiftMaster’s page and a trained door technician are the authority.
Source
LiftMaster’s own help page, read on the date shown.
- Chamberlain Group Support (LiftMaster and Chamberlain): Garage Door Opener | Diagnostic Codes and UP/DOWN Flashing Lights — LiftMaster and Chamberlain Security+ 2.0 and Security+ 3.0 openers with UP and DOWN arrows; codes 3-5 and 5-5 only on the wall-mounted jackshaft models 8500W/RJO70, 98022/RJO101 and 98032. support.chamberlaingroup.com Checked 2026-09-29.
Other LiftMaster codes
Find a code by which light flashes and how many times, on any maker’s opener →