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:

• 

  Brakes, Rotors, Transmission....... - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Chris - January 27 - 9:20 am

  Purchased the vehicle brand new from dealership. At 18k started hearing screeching noise from front tires. Outcome? Complete brake overhaul from calipers, rotors and brake pads, all needed replaced. Dealership said there was no reported issue even though I showed them pages and pages of customer complaints about the brakes. I did this out of my own pocket for the safety of my family. Now before warranty expires the transmission is slipping. We took to dealer said there was a recall and fixed right? Wrong? Today wife had to take back to dealer, $95 bucks to look at it since no longer under warranty. Rental out of my pocket and the outcome is still TBD...... Terrible experience.

• 

  Doors opened while driving! - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By madincali - January 23 - 11:36 am

  Bought this van brand new, traded in my Dodge Durango (which I loved!) Never wanted a van. Van has been great, has been driven cross country a few times. Yes I had to have the brakes replaced but I havent experienced the other issues. Now the doors are a NIGHTMARE! They started with the reopening when being shut. It has moved on pretty quickly to the electrical issues, when in park the dash, windshield wipers, blinkers, dash/dome lights.. ALL STARTED BLINKING. Dealership cant fix it, called it a minor annoyance. While driving with my 11mo old daughter the van started to sputter, all the components started to blink and the doors opened and shut. Going to dealership tmrw, getting rid of asap!

• 

  OK, but nothing great - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By mike - January 6 - 12:23 pm

  The engine in this vehicle makes a lot of noise which is one of the worst parts of driving it. When the heat is on there is also a whistling noise. Not even sure why, might be a problem.

• 

  I wish I could recommend it... but I cant - 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mrpyromaniac - January 6 - 4:52 am

  Bought the 3.8L SXT version, only have 33k on it. Having the transmission rebuilt right now. My wife drives this van around our small town, and we take weekend trips. Its well taken care of. Weve had to have ALL the brakes replaced three times now, the tires are pretty much shot because of the brake problems, and there is a bad motor mount, and now the transmission. The engine is great, and the features and interior are phenomenal, but with the brake problems and now the transmission, clearly the build quality leaves much to be desired. Thats why a Toyota is 20k more...

• 

  Less than two weeks - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By dwash24 - January 3 - 10:00 am

  I bought my durango and drove it home from the dealership and noticed a check guage light come. Oil pressure guage and new oil pump were replaced. It took 6 days to get problem square away. drove the vehicle for 4 days and it would not crank. this time alternator. Of course Im disgusted for owning a suv for 2 weeks and have only driven it for 4 days. to top it all off three of the speakers were shot during my four day drive.

• 

  Bit dissapointed - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Larry - January 2 - 10:20 pm

  After only 65,000 km (40,000 mi) it uses 2 liters of oil between changes! Chrysler service mgr. told me I was checking it wrong! Then said that if it were using that much oil, you wouldnt be able to see behind the car for smoke! Then he said it is common for a car to use a liter every 1000 km! All this in a 5 minute conversation! The head light module has been replaced, as have most of the front end components. Seats are uncomfortable and suspension is mushy! Have already done first brake job! Guess I shouldnt compare it to my 1996 with 323,000 km (200,000 miles)! Thank god I didnt trade it! At least I have 1 good car! Also the /06 only gives 19 to 20 mpg as compared to the /96 at 28 mpg.

• 

  Beats? Upgrade? - 2018 Dodge Durango
  By Butch - January 2 - 9:29 am

  Beats being the upgrade in THIS vehicle? Disgusting ! $76000 ? Would have probably have bought it if it had the Harmon Kardon. Bought a Hellcat with Harmon Kardon at another Dealer, sight unseen ! Very Happy !

• 

  Fleet manager says no more - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Brian - December 28 - 1:30 am

  Managing a fleet of 500 vehicles and have about 100 Grand Caravans. Good practical vehicles but mechanical nightmares. Replaced 10 rack and pinion units in the last 2 years and many, many tie rods. Electrical issues are common as well. Primarily in the column and the multi-function switches. Beware, the new models (2008 or newer) use a new key system that will set you back over $100 to replace.

• 

  Not Enough Stow N Go or Milage - 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Lawrence Peters - December 26 - 3:47 am

  I was asked why we decided not to purchase the 2017 Dodge Caravan (Base Model). While the wife loved it, I found fault with the mid-row seats that did NOT Stow N Go (a feature that drew us to look at Caravans. We actually looked at and drove a new 2016 that was priced around 20K out the door.I also found the gas mileage a bit disappointing - apparently these minivans are larger and heavier than I thought. Replacing our Hyundai sedan would have significantly increased our operating costs. And, of course, you never get the the mileage shown on the stickers!

• 

  Horrible Brakes - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By jon - December 12 - 9:20 am

  Do Not Buy a Dodge Journey!!! At 13000 miles I had to replace the front brakes. At 19000 miles I had to replace the front brakes again as well as the rotors. Chrysler is doing nothing about it. The dealer says that its normal. No it is not!!! I have owned numerous cars and have never had to replace any brakes before hitting 50,000 miles. I loved the car at first for the features and the ride, but the brake issues have destroyed everything. Do Not Buy a Dodge Journey!!! You will regret it!!!