Mine has the same issue, but it doesn't attempt a second time. It just tries once and if it doesn't make it then it just launches a ball out through the VUK directly behind it (that feeds the left flipper instead of the left cannon). Is there a setting that I can change that will make it try again?

Check that plunger is not sticking/loose/jacked. Could the ball be snagging on something on it's way up the first time?

I would take the mechanism apart, clean the parts and replace the coil sleeve. Pinballlife sells the coil sleeves. Make sure the plunger has no burrs on it. These problems are almost never the coil.

Had the same problem, so i wanted to post my solution for future reference... Inside the bracket for the three poppers there is some kind of thin metal sleeve. In my case, this sleeve was pushed up a bit (maybe 1") so it was sticking out at the top. This must have created too much space in the area around the hole where the ball is waiting to be kicked upwards. I guess the machine tried once, failed to kick up the ball and then the locked balls in the bracket must have got stacked or jammed.

I pushed the metal sleeve back into the bracket and never had any of these problems again.