Pontiac Repair: My Vibe is chugging / hesitating, coil assembly, sharing your expertise

Question
Hi, Todd -
My 2003 Vibe runs great most of the time (for 140,000 miles so far), aside from an extra quart of oil or so every month.  Lately, when 45-50 mph coincides with just under 2000 rpm, the car hesitates or chugs pretty badly until the rpm's get over 2000.  This also happens occasionally when starting off from a stoplight/ sign.  We mostly see this problem when we've been driving an hour or so, not just around town.  Thanks for sharing your expertise!

Answer
Hi Julie:

chances are that it has a bad spark plug or coil assembly. sounds like it's dropping a cylinder and not running on all 4. if it's bruning oil you could have a plug that's oil fouled out. does it do it worse if it's really damp or wet out/raining? that would indicate  for sure a plug/coil issue. good luck :-}