Automatic Doors Or Door Openers
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Laundry & Household Appliances · CPSC Code 137
Down 38% over 5 years
The verdict
Automatic Doors Or Door Openers carry a danger score of 34/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 1,846 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 38% over the last five years.
- 34/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 1,846
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 9.2%
- end in hospital admission
- 75+
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 137 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 34/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for automatic doors or door openers - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,846 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)9.2%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-38%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Automatic Doors Or Door Openers (CPSC product code 137, in the Laundry & Household Appliances category) generate an estimated 1,846 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 36,918 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 34/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 38% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2009 (2,631 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (781 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for automatic doors or door openers is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 4,002 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by contusions, abr. to the hand (2,156 cases). The 75+ age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 9,725 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 9.2% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 4 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how automatic doors or door openers fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 2,395 | 1,981 | |
| 5-14 | 2,273 | 1,701 | |
| 15-24 | 802 | 1,104 | |
| 25-34 | 1,192 | 923 | |
| 35-44 | 1,284 | 1,402 | |
| 45-54 | 1,130 | 2,139 | |
| 55-64 | 1,214 | 2,799 | |
| 65-74 | 1,463 | 3,392 | |
| 75+ | 2,066 | 7,659 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Arm | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Shoulder | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Toe | Avulsion |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
93YOM COMES TO ER AFTER A FALL. HE STATES HE WAS A STORE WHE HIS WALKER GOT CAUGHT IN THE AUTOMATIC DOORS. HE HIT HIS HEAD AND HAS ABRASIONS TO HIS LEFT ELBOW. EXAM SHOWS A LACERATION NOTED ON THE TOP OF HIS HEAD. DX: HISTORY OF FALLING; LACERATION SCALP; PAIN ELBOW RIGHT
76YOM REPORTS AN AUTOMATIC DOOR CLOSED ON HIM AND HE FELL ON HIS RIGHT SIDE. COMPLAINS OF HIP PAIN. DX HIP FRACTURE, ADMIT.
26 YOF REPORTS RIGHT FOOT WAS CRUSHED IN AN AUTOMATIC DOOR AT STORE ON 6/2 AND SHE HAS BEEN WALKING ON IT WITH WORSENING PAIN. DX: NO DX, LEFT WITHOUT BEING SEEN.
50YOF COMPLAINS OF RIGHT SHOULDER PAIN AFTER AN OBJECT FELL ON HER SHOULDER TONIGHT. STATES SHE WAS AT THE GROCERY STORE WHEN AN AUTOMATIC DOOR MALFUNCTIONED AND STRUCK HER INTHE RIGHT SHOULDER/UPPER ARM. STATES HER NECK AND RIGHT UPPER ARM HURT. CONTUSION/HEMTAOMA TO RIGHT DELTOID. DX: ACUTE PAIN OF RIGHT SHOULDER, CONTUSION OF RIGHT SHOULDER.
8YOM PRESENTS AFTER A AUTOMATIC METAL DOOR CLOSED ON HIS ANKLE, C/O LAC OF ANKLE, DX:LAC OF ANKLE
2 YOF WITH LEFT LOWER LEG INJURY. SHE WAS LEAVING THE HOSPITAL WITH HER GRANDFATHER AND GOT CAUGHT IN THE AUTOMATIC DOOR. DX ABRAISON LEG, CONTUSION LEFT LEG
69YOM PT WALKING DOG, HEADED HOME & WAS TRYING TO OPEN AUTOMATIC DOOR BUT HIT A BRICK WALL WITH LEFT HAND; + SWELLING DX: CONTUSION LEFT HAND
58YOF PRESENTS TO THE ED FOR LEFT SHIN RIGHT WRIST PAIN AND KNEE PAIN AFTER A FALL EARLIER TODAY. PATIENT STATED SHE WAS OUT SHOPPING AND DID NOT REALIZED THERE WAS AN ELEVATED PORTION OF THE GROUND NEAR THE AUTOMATIC DOORS AT THE STORE AND HER FOOT GOT CAUGHT ON IT.PT FELL WITH ABRASION ON SHIN PT LEFT ED DX: FALL
80 YOM WAS AMBULATING INTO CLINIC TO GET A ROUTINE ECHOCARDIOGRAM WHEN HE FELT SHORT OF BREATH AND RESTED HIS ARM ON THE AUTOMATIC DOOR TO CATCH HIS BREATH. UPON SLIGHTLY BENDING FORWARD AND RESTING HIS ARM, THE AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENED CAUSING HIM TO STUMBLE, FALLING FORWARD STRIKING HIS HEAD ON THE GROUND. DX: FACIAL LACERATION.
26YOF GOT CAUGHT IN HOTEL AUTOMATIC DOOR AND FELL DX: ANKLE SPRAIN
61YOM WAS GOING TO A GROCERY STORE WHEN THE AUTOMATIC DOORS CLOSED ONTO HIS RIGHT ANKLE DX: CONTUSION ANKLE
52YOF WAS WALKING INTO THE GROCERY STORE WHEN THE AUTOMATIC DOOR CLOSED ONTO HER RIGHT SHOULDER DX: SHOULDER CONTUSION
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Our LiftMaster 2220 garage door opener was pulling the garage door open. When it got to about half-way open, it let go of the door and the door came crashing down. This is a screw-drive model and the part of the opener that connects the door to the screw rod is called the "rack". This piece is made of plastic and when it broke the door came crashing down. Such a critical piece that connects the door and is under a lot of pressure should not be made of plastic that can break so easily! If someone was trying to walk under the door when this happened they would have been seriously injured. I fear for my small children with this issue.
Subject is a GTO 3000XLS gate operator system, operating for 3 years. Battery caught fire during normal operation. Contacted vendor April 10th, 2023 with this information, including photographs. As of May 2, 2023, no remedy was offered as unit was outside two year warranty period.
Caller stated that her garage opener caught fire. She stated that her spouse had gone to the garage after her daughter had left out, he smelled something burning and then he noticed that the garage opener was in flames and pieces were falling off from the ceiling, the flames dissipated when it fell to the concrete floor. He immediately used a shovel to remove the burning parts and to unplug it. There is no estimate for any property damages at this time. The submitter noted her spouse put the flames out, but didn't remove the parts (hand shovel was nearby). Caller feels that they experienced problems of recall#14-114. Hazard:The control board can overheat, posing a fire hazard. The manufacturer was not contacted as yet. Caller feels that the garage opener is a fire hazard and should be recalled. The submitter added [the incident] happened at 10pm - their bedtime, and they were extremely lucky her husband checked to see if their daughter shut the door and that the other doors were shut; otherwise, [their daughter] would have come home to dead parents and pets. The submitter also added they are thankful they didn't lose their house, not to mention their lives, and she believes they were within seconds of losing both.
9/13/12 @ 1800 [redacted] used the remote key pad to lower the single car garage door. As he was walking away he heard the popping and breaking of glass. He turned and saw that the garage door was continuing to go down although it was no longer moving down. The door bent/buckled about center as if to fold itself in half. Three windows completely shattered, exposing sharp ragged edges. He was able to get the door to retract back up by crossing the light sensor beam. Glass was on the ground outside the door, inside the garage on the floor and covering our personal belongings. The Genie garage door opener located on the ceiling of the garage was broken as well. [REDACTED] called Easy lift door company at 916-922-7123; he left a voice message explaining that there was a problem with our door and that we would need someone to come look at it and do necessary repairs. [redacted] proceed to clean up the mess and secure the door. The glass was sharp and shattered. The glass was not tempered. He was able to pull out the pieces that remained in the small window frame. Disposed of the broken glass and screwed plywood to cover the open windows. The door was able to manually close. History of the garage door and opener: There was nothing blocking the garage door, hinges, brackets or opener. The door is the original door installed by Easy Lift Door Company via KB Homes in 2004. We took possession of the brand new house October 7, 2004. [redacted]installed a Genie Excelerator Model 15D995 ½ HP as per the instruction manual. [redacted] does not wear glasses and is competent to do such an installation. The Genie Excelerator was purchased by us from Lowes; unable to locate original receipt. Called Lowes they only have records 5 years back. We still have the original manuals. History of other problems: 8/6/2007 Easy Lift Door Company came out to R&R strut and style on 17x7 724 Door; service and adjust as needed. Repairs were called out because the door
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to automatic doors or door openers on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are automatic doors or door openers?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, automatic doors or door openers have a danger score of 34/100 (low risk). An estimated 1,846 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from automatic doors or door openers?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 4,002 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from automatic doors or door openers increasing or decreasing?
Down 38% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for automatic doors or door openers injuries?
The 75+ age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 9,725 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by automatic doors or door openers?
Of all ER visits involving automatic doors or door openers, approximately 9.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (90.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with automatic doors or door openers?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Laundry & Household Appliances
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 34/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 75+ age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
