Skip to content
KickTyres
MajorCommonElectrical

Holden Astra: Ignition coil pack and ECU failure causing misfires and stalling

Ignition coil pack and ECU failure causing misfires and stalling is a common electrical fault on the Holden Astra on the 2000–2004 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $300 to $1,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 16 documented faults on the Holden Astra.

Vehicle
Holden Astra
Years
2000–2004
Fuel
petrol
System
Electrical

This page covers the Holden Astra as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Holden Astra faults16 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

A four-cylinder ignition coil rail removed from an engine, beside a steel rule for scale.Example of the part — not this vehicle

A coil-on-plug ignition rail, removed. One coil per cylinder.

Cschirp · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

What goes wrong

TS Astras are notorious for the single cassette-style coil pack breaking down with heat, causing misfires on one or two cylinders, rough idle and stalling. The engine ECU sits in a hot spot and also has a high failure rate; a coil-pack fault can sometimes take the ECU with it. Symptoms often appear only when the engine is hot, then clear when cool, which makes them easy for a seller to hide on a short cold test drive.

What you would notice

  • Engine light with rough running when hot
  • Misfire or flat spot under load (uphill, overtaking)
  • Intermittent stalling that clears after cooling down

How to check it

Where to look. Coil pack sits on top of the engine over the spark plugs; ECU is in the engine bay near the battery

  1. Test drive with the engine fully warmed up, including a hard uphill pull.

  2. Watch for the check-engine light and feel for shuddering at idle.

  3. Have any stored misfire codes (P0300-series) read before purchase.

Parts involved: Ignition coil.

What it costs to put right

$300 to $1,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

  • “Has the coil pack or ECU ever been replaced?”
  • “Does it ever run rough or stall in hot weather or traffic?”

Now check the Holden Astra you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

  • AFI Australia tech tip: Holden Astra misfires
  • Whirlpool Forums '02 Astra coil pack thread

Holden Astra buyer questions

Is ignition coil pack and ecu failure causing misfires and stalling serious on a Holden Astra?

We rate it major and common on the Holden Astra. TS Astras are notorious for the single cassette-style coil pack breaking down with heat, causing misfires on one or two cylinders, rough idle and stalling. The engine ECU sits in a hot spot and also has a high failure rate; a coil-pack fault can sometimes take the ECU with it. Symptoms often appear only when the engine is hot, then clear when cool, which makes them easy for a seller to hide on a short cold test drive.

How much does it cost to fix on a Holden Astra?

$300 to $1,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Holden Astra years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2000–2004 Holden Astra. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Test drive with the engine fully warmed up, including a hard uphill pull. Watch for the check-engine light and feel for shuddering at idle. Have any stored misfire codes (P0300-series) read before purchase. Look here: Coil pack sits on top of the engine over the spark plugs; ECU is in the engine bay near the battery