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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  disapointed in this vehical - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By jsteele1 - June 13 - 6:22 pm

  its too bad that this vehical isnt what was advertised to be. electrical systems are dangerous. even after the replacement of the electrical harness on the drivers side door, the modual for the power windows, locks, etc. melted yesterday. not just a small thing either. large areas of it on both sides were no longer recognizable. scorch marks on the "new" harnes as well as the insulation under it. the air bag alert light has continued to come on a number of times. the started modual had to be replaced. the air condition/ heating needed to replaced. 19" tires are special order and expensive. front wheel drive does not work effectively on my driveway. regret buying this vehical alot

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  Good at First... - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By eamin637 - June 9 - 10:09 am

  I got my neon almost 3 yrs ago, at first it was nice and it got me around. I got it with 79,000 miles on it. Within the first week the dash got bubbles in it. After that it ran okay, hard, long start and misfiring every once in awhile. 1st yr I had to replace the brakes, rotors, tires, and bushing cost $700. The next year just new bulbs $10. Recently before I got rid of it I had to replace the struts, tire rod, brakes again, stabilizer pin, emergency brake and radiator $900+. I had the final straw when I finished fixing all of that and the catalytic converter went out.. I was terrified of driving the car and I took good care of it with regular maintenance. I would not recommend this car.

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  brakes and tires, brakes and tires - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By michand - April 30 - 11:54 pm

  I bought the first Journey our Dodge dealership had in stock. I was excited because I planned on starting a family and wanted the room and comfort. The Journey has served its purpose but not without costing me a fortune. I have had 3 sets of brakes and 2 sets of tires in 4 years. The tires for my Journey cost $1200-$1500 a set, brakes and rotors cost $500-$800. Also small things like a battery replacement was $250 and I broke the valve stem on the tire and it was $150. I loved the car but cant afford the costly maintenance. We just traded it in on a Honda, we lost the room but have many less headaches when it comes to the upkeep of a vehicle.

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  Disappointing quality - 2011 Dodge Challenger
  By harrison310 - April 26 - 10:05 am

  I chosen the Challenger because it was roomy, looked good, & JD Powers scored it high for initial quality, but in the 6 months i had the car, interior trim fell off, power window motors screwed up, and the drivers seat motor refused to back up. The midline stereo could not be turned up without causing interior trim buzzing (and were talking only 21 on the vol dial), and of course, even with the Pentastar V6, I was getting no better than 17 mpg city or highway. the pitch black interior was hard to live with. My first and last Chrysler product.

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  Disappointed - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By kingsolidsteve - April 24 - 11:41 pm

  I got my Journey as a high school graduation present from my grandmother. It was a very nice gift, initially looked impressive, and was fun for awhile. That all gradually started to change. Since I have had it, it has had two recalls for safety issues, replaced brake pads that were defective, and wheel covers that had a weird discoloration (and still does). There is also an excessive amount of dust that accumulates on the dashboard, and some of the interior pieces are pretty flimsy and cheap. Acceleration is sometimes either too quick or too sluggish, and the gas mileage isnt up to par. This is disappointing, as Ive always been a Dodge fan. Im thinking of trading in my Journey next year.

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  Over 5 year relationship with Dodge service.... - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By llopez16 - April 24 - 3:07 pm

  When I first purchased this vehicle there were a few hiccups & Dodge service did a decent job of taking care of them. But as time has progressed the way things have been handled has gotten worse & worse. I have the lifetime power train & lifetime electrical warranties & now that dodge needs to make good on some things its taking an insane amount of time for them to get the work complete. As of tomorrow they will have had my vehicle 3 1/2 weeks for a clutch & transmission issue. These issues are all over the internet & it still took them a really long time to diagnose & now even though there have been issues all along they are still charging me for the clutch.

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  WORST CAR EVER MADE - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By slimlzbn - April 22 - 9:55 am

  Where do I start? I bought this piece of junk in 09 with 20k on it for 10k. Almost immediately I started to get problems with it. Now 2 years later with 55k, it keeps stopping in the midst of driving. 3 times in this past month, but only once did it start right back up. It left me stranded in the MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY once and in the MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION the other time. I took it to 2 shops..they dont know whats wrong with it because I have to take it there when it is not starting. One shop fixed what they "thought" could be the problem. Saying this often happens with Dodges so hopefully itll do the trick. Not at all..it continued to stop. Crazy. AVOID DODGES AT ALL COST!!

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  not as happy as others seem to be - 2011 Dodge Nitro
  By soonerfanfl - April 16 - 8:28 am

  I bought my Nitro late in the year (Nov). Enjoyed the ride and handling. Reminded me of my 2000 Pathfinder that I miss tremendously. I put over 200k miles on that car in 7 years and never had any issues at all. So far with the Nitro I have 43k in 16 months (I drive 30k a year) and the check engine light comes on occassionally. Not sure why. A/C blower went out right at 36,500 when the warranty ran out. Fortunately the dealership I bought it at fixed it w/o question. At 14k the head gasket blew and was leaking oil like a faucet. Still under warranty the dealership fixed it. Im still undecided whether I like the car or not. Of course, the engine light is on again.

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  Help me kill my car! - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By kong4lucky - April 7 - 9:24 am

  I bought this car used in 2009 with 28k miles on it, I have replaced the alternator twice, replaced both thermostats and had to fix the A/C and now it has a bad oil leak (it currently has 81k miles on it). I dont know if this is typical of dodge cars but I do know that I will definitely research any car I buy from now on, especially if itÂ’s from Dodge. The Caliber itself drives just fine, I have no complaints on its handling, but mechanically itÂ’s been a nightmare.

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  Buy something else. - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By whitetails - April 5 - 7:20 pm

  Went to have car inspected and it failed inspection due to tie rod ends. Car has only 68,000 miles. They said the front end is shot, plus it has ruined a $150. tire that has 6,000 miles on it. My ford truck has 183,000 miles and same tie rod ends and just pasted inspection at same place. My previous car a ford had 191,000 miles and never replaced tie rod ends. Back to FORD for me.