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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  NEVER EVER BUY! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By ccard3 - April 17 - 5:36 pm

  We have had our car for less then 2 years... We bought it in 2010 with less then 20,000 miles on it. In that time we have had to replace our brakes, Have our entire transmission rebuilt, our starter replaced, and now it wont start and the dealership does not know why. I am a stay at home mom and do not drive much at all, some days i do not even leave the house and this car is so un-reliable i can not even believe it! Its a 50/50 chance if the car will start or not, and if it does THEN i get my child ready and into the car, No point in getting him ready if we cant go anywhere. Cant wait to get rid of this car, Lemon, lemon, lemon!

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  SXT 2.0 Sell this car asap! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By dodge1021 - April 12 - 3:44 am

  Lets start with injectors that the dealer said was causing a hard start at 40000 miles, still doing it today at 78000 miles and has been ever since. Dealer woukd not back it. Lower control arms, oil pan leaking at 72000 miles. Then retuned it three times due to dealer in greenwood indiana tom ob had to do the alignment, three times. Niw the oil leak has returned at 78000 miles and the dealer is saying I have a new leak, frt eng cover even though the oil is coming from the exact place it did when they said oil pan. They blew it! JUNK!

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  bad choice - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By raquelle - April 3 - 1:09 pm

  I wanted an alternative to a minivan and thought I found it in the Dodge Journey. I was very wrong. Its tiny interior doesnt even allow for a space for my compact purse. Cramped and uncomforatble seats. Brakes have had issues since I purchased with premature and uneven wear. Had to replace front and back both at 50K miles. Ignition gets stuck in ACC mode and wont turn to off so when I take key out, it drains battery. Recall work done on that already, but worse since the recall work. Transmission is clunky and always feels like the car is about to shake apart when moving from park to reverse. So very disappointed in this vehicle.

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  Unbelieveably Disgusted - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By heavysigh - March 31 - 3:32 pm

  I bought this thing because the dealer told me it had the same engine as my chrysler 300. I have had so many problems they are way too many to mention all of them here. I have had 2 recalls and had both problems before the recalls so I had to pay and wait & wait. I never was reimbursed for one of them and now had to pay again. I have had problems with ignition, key fobs, security, transmission, brakes, windows, door harnesses, brakes again and more and more. It has left me stranded at the gas pump at 11 at night because of some mystery problem with radio waves (my god!) It eats brakes and tires. Its the worst vehicle Ive ever owned!! I want to paint it yellow & put "sunkist" on it.

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  Dont buy a Journey! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By star20 - March 31 - 12:25 am

  I have had to replace the front brakes on this car twice and the back brakes once. I only have 26,000 miles on the car and I need to replace the brakes again! Dodge is using poor quality parts and made the brake "sweep" area insufficient for the weight of the vehicle. this car is a piece of junk. Also I had to replace the front tires already and it cost me nearly $400! that was with shopping around for the best deal. I will never buy Dodge again.

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  5th and LAST Chrysler Corp. product - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By brass2 - March 15 - 6:52 pm

  Initially, I loved this car but honestly how many of all the cars that have ever been made are terrible from day one. There are so many problems, that have nothing to do with operator error, like the windows regulator, headlights that either dont work or flicker and a shifter lever that was made so cheaply that apparently it is just short of recall, the list goes on and on. This car had so much potential, but the shoddy (and overpaid at $75 an hour) workmanship along with inferior parts combine to outweigh any positives or potential for greatness this car had.

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  Dodge This and other Dodge Bullets - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By nfs - March 15 - 4:48 pm

  This is a 2008 Dodge Avenger Red SXT. Lets start 2010 Transmission problems my miles are over warranty. 2011 Check engine light stays on. 2011 clear coat starts to bubble and peal from spoiler. 2012 paint is bubbling on the hood when Dodge was notified stated they may not cover it that a rock could cause the paint to bubble. Dodge keeps Dodging the bullet on car issues. Last Dodge and Chrysler vehicle I will be buying. Look up on the internet about Dodge vehicles paint bubbling on vehicle hoods then you decide.

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  Fuel System Problems - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By truevfib - March 15 - 12:56 pm

  I purchased my Journey in Sept. Since then it has been in the shop 10 times. I cannot fuel my vehicle to full. It generally stops around 3/4. They have replaced everthing there is to replace. Then Crysler tells us that they are aware of the problem and that they "may" have a solution in July 2012. I asked for a replacement vehicle, within the NC Lemon Law statues and they denied me. I have a lawyer working on a claim. Crysler has been very ugly in this matter. Plus I have had to have all the brakes and roters replaced at 700 miles. If you are looking at this vehicle to purchase save yourself the heart ache and buy something else.

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  The little engine that couldnt - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By swells1225 - February 28 - 1:59 pm

  Well I wasnt in love with the caliber when I first got it but it started to grow on me. Then about a month into having my car the clutch and one other part went out over a month later I finally got it back from the dealership where I bought it. Now I am having major problems, ac turns its self on, dash lights go out, cruse control wont work, key fab stopped working (I replaced the battery), it doesnt start 2 out of every 5 times I get in it, it wont let me go above 4000 rpms anymore. Ive had problem after problem and have taken care of this car. Very very disappointed in this car! Those are just a few of the issue, and I cant get rid of it for another year!

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  Warning please dont buy !!!! - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By kim14kraz - February 14 - 4:29 pm

  Within the first few months of me purchasing this it had problems With the sunroof. Then it about 3 different parts recalled. My door handle broke on both sides. My locks stopped working. As time goes on my truck is literally falling apart. I poured so much money into this thing as if it was a used suv. I would never but doge, jeep, or Chrysler ever again.