2009 Aveo With vvt Killing ignition coils

2009 Aveo 1.6L
Im having Repeat ignition Coil failure on this car. 55,000kms on the car and it has had 3 coil packs.

The car had the recall for boot degradation, and a new set of plugs.

So heres the basic info -

June - 2015 - Replaced Spark plugs and Boot recall at GM
April 2018 - Replaced spark plugs - NGK ZFR6FGP Platinum Plugs
May 2024 - Replaced coil pack, Failed on cylinder 1. Had no spark new coil fixed it - GM coil
July 2024 - Replaced coil pack again same symptom, failed on cylinder 1 - GM Coil
July 3 days later - Coil died again. Tried a BWD coil pack this time. - BWD Coil

August - 2024 - Car is missing again on cylinder 1 after it warms up. Swapped plugs, around, tested wiring to ecm and all wiring resistances. Everything checks out.


Am I just getting a **** batch of coil packs? What the hell can be causing this? All the packs were replaced under warranty so no money has really been chucked at this.

Compression is good, injectors are firing, cylinder balance test(with the gause and shop air) passed, it keeps failing on cylinder 1 over and over.

Anecdotal evidence over the past few years suggests the Aveo generally doesn't like platinum plugs. Most seem to end up with misfires though and not coil pack damage.

Keep in mind, copper is more electrically conductive than both platinum or iridium. So a platinum plug requires more energy from your coil to fire vs a copper one. Maybe try switching to regular copper plugs for a while

When all else fails, check the engine wiring harness to chassis ground connection point immediately next to the underhood ECM. If they use road salt on the roads in winter in your area, that connection point is probably pretty corroded. And i have found that grounding problems can cause a wide range of strange electrically related problems and driveability issues. If the main ground connection by the ECM is bad, i wouldn't be surprised if your ignition coils are failing often and early.

Deano