i have a Trooper, 4 cylinder, 2.6 l engine. I replaced the head gasket (felpro) less than a year ago. the head was rebuilt and had been milled prior to installation.
A year later, I lost compression on the 2 center cylinders. I took it apart and found that the gasket was missing 1/2 inch right between the 2nd and 3rd cylinders.
A. What could have caused it?
B. Do I need to worry that there may be some metal or graphite parts of the gasket in the motor?
C. What is a good gasket to replace it with? I am reluctant to use felpro again.

My Trooper did the same thing between 3 and 4 right before i bought it. I got a good deal with no compression in 2 cylinders. found out when i tore it down that a head bolt had either lost torque or wasn't torqued right. a new gasket lasted me until i blew the engine about 3 years later(note to self, when you are upside down, hit the key, not the loud pedal). so,
A: see above, other than that, dunno.
B: Not likely, the peice is probably carbon in your exhaust by now.
C: I like fel pro, My 2.6 is on it's third one. (none of them blew, but other things did, main bearings, valves, you get the idea) and I've used fel pro in other engines with no problems, but if you really want a different gasket, I also like the Nitroseal ones you get at Napa. Never used one in a 2.6 but they hold up fine to a small block chevy.

I'd check the deck on the block. I'd bet $$$ that its lower between 2-3 than elsewhere... mine was 5 thou lower before I machined it.

What I had to add is posted below. Sorry for the foul-up......

I'm assuming you retorqued the head after about ten hours running time (I usually do it after ten hours, then again after thirty hours) on the new gasket. If I follow that procedure I rarely experience a gasket failure. If I don't, gasket failure occurs about half the time.