In 2022, the Chamberlain Group, which manufactures LiftMaster and Chamberlain garage door openers, redesigned their 8500 wall-mount (also known as jackshaft) openers, giving them a new circuit board with a yellow learn button, built-in Wi-Fi, and battery backup, while removing the cable tensioner feature.

The company redesigned the opener again at the end of 2023, now called the LiftMaster 98022 or Chamberlain RJO101. These latest models feature a requirement for garage door repair companies and installers to select one of five door profiles based on a couple of parameters when setting up the new wall-mount unit. This selection is intended to ensure the door opener effectively opens and closes the door.

Excessive Force Error 41

Despite selecting any door profile from 1 to 5, in many cases, the garage door reverses with the opener returning an excessive force error code, usually error 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, or 4-4. The faulty device could cause irregular or slow operation, and the garage door may fail to close, leaving both garage door repair companies and consumers frustrated with the defective garage door openers and design flaw.

What Consumers Can Do

If the opener returns an excessive force error code and the garage door does not close, follow these steps:

1. Pull the red cord to disengage the door from the opener.
2. Close the garage door manually.
3. Contact your garage door repair company or installer to discuss warranty options and alternative solutions.

The wall-mount opener operates by being mounted to the wall and the garage door’s shaft, rotating the shaft to open or close the door. Pulling the red rope hanging from the opener disconnects the door’s shaft from the motor, allowing manual operation. To reconnect the door to the opener, pull the rope again.

Until the issue is resolved and the unit proves reliable, consumers may want to reconsider purchasing and installing a wall-mount opener in their garage. This includes the LiftMaster model 98022 or Chamberlain model RJO101.