Overview & Reviews

One of America's most storied automotive brands, Dodge has been around since the early days of the auto industry. In the past couple of decades, it has revitalized itself to be a producer of aggressively styled and performance-oriented vehicles.

Two brothers, Horace and John Dodge, began the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle company in 1914, after having worked as manufacturers of bicycles and automotive parts. Their first vehicle was a touring car that proved a fast favorite with car buyers; it was soon joined by a roadster and a four-door sedan. By 1917, the company's model line had grown to include trucks. Dodge cars and trucks were used as staff vehicles and ambulances in World War I.

Dodge was briefly owned by a banking firm and subsequently sold by its new owner to the Chrysler Corporation in 1928. From there, the brand slowly evolved into the division responsible for trucks and performance-oriented cars. Post WWII, Dodge introduced vehicles like the military-inspired Power Wagon truck, Hemi-powered Coronet and the Royal Lancer; in addition, the manufacturer began offering dealer-installed air-conditioning.

Vehicles like the Dodge Dart and the Coronet kept the manufacturer in American driveways throughout the 1960s. That decade also saw the launch of one of Dodge's most iconic vehicles, the Charger. Dodge's muscle car was based on the Coronet platform, and featured a fastback roof line, hidden headlamps and a full-width taillamp panel. Best of all, the Charger could pack one heck of a wallop under the hood. A 318-cubic-inch V8 was standard, but buyers seeking maximum brawn could upgrade to a 426-cubic-inch, 425-hp Hemi V8. The company also introduced a Mustang-fighting pony car, called the Challenger, in 1970.

As with other American auto manufacturers, Dodge's fortunes started to slip in the '70s due to changing tastes and increased competition. The company was saved from extinction in the early '80s thanks to government loans and the sales success of its Omni and Aries economy cars (the former an attempted copy of the VW Rabbit). But 1984 was when Dodge made its mark in the history books with the introduction of the wildly popular Caravan. Ideal for families and able to seat up to seven, the space-efficient Caravan started a whole new vehicle segment -- the minivan.

The early '90s saw the company wow the public with the V10-powered Viper roadster and an all-new Ram pickup that set a new standard for big-rig-like styling. A few years later, Dodge came to be part of DaimlerChrysler, a result of the merger of the German company Daimler (owner of Mercedes-Benz) and Chrysler.

The merger never really worked, however, and Daimler sold Chrysler and Dodge to a private equity firm in 2007. Soon after, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy. The federal government intervened and eventually Dodge came under control of Fiat, a European automaker known for its small cars, an area where Dodge's entries had been roundly criticized for mediocre build quality and unrefined performance.

More recent years have seen Dodge concentrate on the more practical vehicles in its lineup, making notable improvements to the performance and overall quality of its midsize Avenger sedan and Journey SUV entries. Dodge also spun off its truck line, making it a separate Ram brand. But make no mistake; Dodge is still considered Chrysler's performance division thanks to cars like the Challenger and Charger. Time will tell how successful Dodge's latest makeover is.

User Reviews:

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  SELL IT - NO RESOLUTION FOR FUEL PUMP RECALL AFTER IT DESTROYS TRUCK - 2019 Dodge Ram 2500
  By STAUFFER - January 26 - 1:49 pm

  Dodge Ram - WARNING - If you have a 2019 or 2020 Dodge Ram Diesel. GET RID OF IT. Our 2019 with less than 30,000 miles has been at the dealership for 45 days now with NO RESOLUTION. We were stranded on the Interstate for two hours - IT JUST DIED AS WE WERE DOING 75MPH, - we are blessed noone was right behind us. The "warranty" that is supposed to be top rated is useless. The case managers, supervisors, do not return calls and the poor dealership service managers are left to deal with things that the "engineers" don't know how to fix. THE FUEL PUMP RECALL DOESN'T HAVE A FIX AND THERE IS NO FIX FOR ALL THE DAMAGE THAT COMES WHEN THE FUEL PUMP GOES OUT AND SENDS METAL SHAVINGS ALL THROUGH INJECTION SYSTEM. Our last update after 45 days (and paying two truck notes) is that "STAR" engineers have no idea how to fix this damage. We have been without a vehicle all this time. SO IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE, GET RID OF IT BEFORE YOU ARE LEFT IN A MESS LIKE THIS!

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  2019 Dodge Grand Caravan - 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Debora Kelly - November 12 - 7:43 am

  I had a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan and the automatic doors would keep shutting with an object in them like a body. I was bruised pretty good once because the door shut on me took it in to a dodge dealer multiple times could not find the problem. Now the 2019 is having the same issue it closed on someone the other day but she was able to get out of it without injury. This problem could severely injure or kill a child. I even called dodge corporate office and am being told they will check it 1 more time and file a "star" and then close my case. I lost $5000 on the 2016 because of the door problems and fear of injury and pain from having to pull on the automatic doors that were not working properly now the 2019 is doing the same thing and again Dodge is not going to fix the issue. This is dangerous but they have my money and I have the van so it is not their problem it is mine.

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  Dodge Ram front ends - 2017 Dodge Ram 2500
  By Brian tompkins - April 27 - 9:06 pm

  Pay $60,000 for truck been back to dealer 3 times before 100,000 miles. Now at 107,000 miles paying out of pocket for front end works. Would not recommend dodge. I am on 3rd one in 20 years and last one they have fell way off and do not back up there trucks. Front ends are main problem and expensive to fix. Not to mention hard to get miles out tires due to abnormal where. Will not own another.

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  98 Dodge Intrepid - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Scott B - January 6 - 5:25 pm

  This car has to maintained often, if not you will find yourself with serious problems. It has a nice ride and is a overall great car when it chooses to be. This car has many flaws and I would not recommend it to a friend because you will end up putting more money into then youll every purchase it for.

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  DODGE A DODGE QUICK - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Shortbody - January 3 - 8:16 pm

  Do not buy used trust and believe all negative comments (its real). Had it 45 days and the Throttle body light came on. No acceleration, car shaking and wont hardly move. Car had poor accelaration before the light came on drove as if it were a manual shifting car. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY! paid cash for the car, wish I had not!!!

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  Absolute garbage. - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By James Smythe - December 29 - 2:43 pm

  I have had this vehicle for over two years now and drive it consistently. Be prepared to buy brakes and rotors on a constant basis. Look up this issue on the internet. Dodge put small, two piston calipers on a 4000 # car, causing it to warp rotors at a rapid rate. The lug nut design is set up in a way that you have to hammer a socket onto the caps to get them off, destroying them in the process. Once theyre all off, you can remove the lug nuts, then the tire. So good luck if you get a flat and have to change it. It is an extra $38 every time my tires come off because I have to replace the caps. The car could have a lot of power, but the computer takes over and effectively destroys any throttle response. When shifting into Drive, if you step on the gas the vehicle will literally sit and do nothing for two seconds, then all of a sudden decide to go somewhere. The blind spot visibility is low, so check a couple times before changing lanes. All in all, this is a poorly designed vehicle. Please save yourself the wasted money.

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  They shouldve Dodged this Neon! - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By Matthew - December 15 - 11:47 pm

  I can honestly say that this has to be one of the worst cars Dodge ever built. My fiancé and I bought ours when it was 10 years old, it only had 90,000 miles on it though. Ever since it was bought, it has nothing but problems. The owner before us was an old lady who had pasted away. She treated the car like it was her first born child so I know the issues didnt come from her driving it. The transmission is terrible. It slips, backfires, and sometimes doesnt even go into gear. The engine has terrible power and constantly leaks oil. The coolant tank leaks. The electronics are terrible. Interior lights dont work anymore. Interior is cheaply made. The dash has bubbles all over it. The back windows leak whenever it storms which makes the inside of the car soaked. The engine is extremely loud, it sounds like you have all the windows down whenever youre driving it. The car vibrates, shakes, and knocks. Headlights have terrible visibility. The only thing thats decent in this vechicle are the speakers. It has a great, stock sound system. The reason Im writing a review on a 14 year old car is because theyre cheap to buy now but I honestly wouldnt waste $500 on this car because youll end up putting 10x that in repairs. Stay away from this car. It shouldnt have ever been made.

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  Heater Core Needs a recall - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By Frank - December 5 - 1:42 pm

  This car performs well. There are a few things that needs to be address before the avenger can be a really neat ride. The Heater core seems to be a major issue with this vehicle. Especially if you live in cold areas. The Heater only blows warm air on the driver side of the vehicle and cold air on the passenger side. Dodge is well aware of this issue but has not done a recall on this placing the cost to repair this problem onto the consumer. Even then there is no assurance this problem will not return since the problem is in the faulty part. The cost can be anywhere from $900 to $1300 to repair depending on your area mechanics. Cold air in the winter renders this vehicle useless during the winter season. My vehicle is currently parked now and I am seriously consider trading this vehicle in for another one. Mostly because I refuse to pay to fix something that is flawed and Dodge knows that it is. Making you feel like you purchased a lemon. Not right Dodge, not right... I need a vehicle I can drive year round and not for 6 or 7 months out of the year. In Kansas it has really cool down in the temps. So its looking like this vehicle will be parked November- March, and thats if the weather is not crazy cold in March. So with that said I encourage anyone having issues with their heating system in their dodge avenger to speak up and be heard. Not sure what it will take to make Dodge do a recall on this issue. For me, Ill be looking to trade this vehicle in if Dodge refuse to act by January.. Maybe someone in Florida or LA can use a ride that cools pretty well in the summer months, but they better not take a trip up North during the Fall.

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  Alternator and PCM failure 2011 Dodge Durango - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By Mayra L - November 27 - 9:39 pm

  2011 Dodge Durango the alternator and PCM go out and they did not cover under recall. All of these Dodge vehicles need to be covered regardless of amps. I will never buy Dodge again!!!!

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  feels like a 4 cylinder Honda accord - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By Otto Sanchez - November 10 - 1:20 pm

  I have purchased this car 3 months ago and I am so disappointed about it. This car runs worst than my girlfriends 2014 honda accord(I hate hondas BTW, my first car was a 2010 civic). Poor acceleration even though I have the Rallye version that is supposed to have 300 horse powers it feels like a 4 cylinder car with 150 HP. Suspension is the worst thing, honda is well known for his hard suspension, but this car is even worst than a honda. I like the interior and LOVE the speaker sound(Beats) and distribution. I wish I could have my challenger back, that was the best car I have ever owned. Had to change it because I had a baby so 2 doors car was a little uncomfortable, but after 3 month I prefer to live with that rather than this dodge accord, sorry charger.