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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  Van needed major work - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Major work needed - March 27 - 4:46 pm

  I currently have 87000 mi, so far I have had to replace my transmission and blew the head gasket. Over $4000 in repairs and I have only owned it for 3 years. Although there are not any major repairs on the horizon (knock on wood) the van is simply falling apart with all the rattles in and out of the vehicle. It has been wonderful to have such a pratical vehicle, however I hate to drive this car any farther than 1 hour,uncomfortable on long trips. This was my second Dodge and the second Dodge that needed a transmission. Any loose bags of stuff roll around in the back, other makes have a well for the seat and that prevents the rolling of stuff. Look at the Toyotas or Hondas.

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  93 Dodge Intrepid - 1993 Dodge Intrepid
  By ahfahvoot - March 26 - 2:00 am

  Piece of crap - repeated repairs for same problem, expensive to fix.

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  New Car??? - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By cboy - March 19 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car new, and have really liked the looks and how the car drives. Our problem has been the $700 head gasket repair at 40K miles, and a $270 power steering pump replacement at 52K miles. Were keeping for at least 2 more years, but Im going to think long and hard before I buy another Dodge. They make great looking cars, but looks arent everything. I need a car that breaks down after 100+K miles, not 40K.

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  "trouble" - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By ky-fan - March 16 - 9:58 pm

  I was initially attracted to the Durango for its body style and size. Since buying it i have experienced considerable trouble with it. In the last year I have replaced the wheel bearings, brakes,and rotors. Weve also had wiring trouble and are currently experiencing oil pump failure. although i love the body style i would not recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  Not too bad for the price. - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By JohnK311 - March 14 - 8:44 pm

  I was forced to buy a Neon because my Dodge Ram crapped out and I needed trade it in to the dealer who had towed it in to be repaired (again!). The Neon was supposed to be temporary until I fouond something I really wanted to buy. Ive been satisfied with the car, payments are low, and I have no good reason to buy anything else. The car is a little noisy with some vibration, but since I always have music cranked it doesnt bother me. I had to have the drivers side door lock fixed. but except for a $50 it was paid for by the warranty. I think Ill keep it.. at least until the warranty expires.

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  Problems - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By erasure - March 11 - 2:47 am

  After having the car for 10 months and taking it to another place to have the oil changed, they found that the antifreeze color was brown, with sludge in it. Lazares didnt want to flush it for me. But after complaining some more they did. Also when I got the oil changed they said I have an oil leak. I found out that they are known to have the rear main seal leak. The car only has 46,000 miles on it. Also alot of road noise

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  So disappointed... - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By nocallady - March 8 - 4:58 pm

  I am sad to say I am selling my Durango. When I bought it, it was love at first sight, but that has now faded after a series of problems. Brakes & tires needed replacing after 30K,the rear differential at 50K, and now, due to a slovenly oil change shop,just replaced the transfer case because they left the plug off. After a month,the chain had overheated and was rattling around loose tearing up everything inside. For a vehicle that had such a butch appearance, it really is a sickly 90lb weakling.

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  can do better - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By frankmendez - February 23 - 2:51 am

  I put 8000 miles on car and had several problems. I reccomend this car for any one who has children. the problems I have encountered have been minimum. Occasionally, I have put the car in park and taken the key out of the ignition but the car wouldnt shut itself off. Should I take it to the dearler

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  Everything but the engine - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By 4kidfamily - February 21 - 5:26 pm

  After 60K miles, were not either happy or unhappy with the van. Weve liked the room, the stowngo, and have had no major maintenance problems (engine/transmission/steering etc). However, we have had issues with things like both power sliding doors (38K miles), a/c not working properly(52K miles), radio/cd/tape not working (40K miles), and recently the rear liftgate latch appears to be hanging. Weve been disappointed with the fuel economy, averaging about 19 mpg overall (mostly highway), and high quoted repair costs, and very low quoted trade- in values ($8-9K after 3 years on a $23K van). Overall, a very mixed bag. Unlikely to repeat the purchase.

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  Not loving this car anymore! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Mindy - February 7 - 1:53 pm

  I loved it when I saw it-even though the inside is mostly plastic. It has been almost 2 months since I purchased it and my service engine light has been on for 3 days. My ESP (stabilizer) keeps coming on and I am getting a message to change the oil already, I only have 2650 miles on the car.I knew it was a risk buying a brand new model but my husband insisted we buy this because the gas mileage was supposed to be decent-I really wanted a Jeep before we saw the Journey.It is a nice looking vehicle and when it runs properly its great but I am concerned that there will be more trips to the dealer than we expected.