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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  Nice look to attract but a money pit once you have it - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By lory3 - December 17 - 12:54 pm

  I hate this car. It has been the worst car I have ever had not because of its looks,inner or outer looks but because it is just junk. Created junk to get money out of people period. Since getting this car we have been having one electrical problem after another one this is just ridiculous. Never would I have thought Dodge could have created such a junk. I just want to get over it as it is completely unreliable since it leaves my husband everywhere and we have to be pulling it to auto shops to try and see what the heck is wrong with it over and over again. Of course so much money goes into this. Please people do not get such a car unless you want to throw your money away. Completely unreliabl

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  It just keeps getting worse! - 2010 Dodge Nitro
  By plspikes - December 7 - 6:48 pm

  I loved it at first, but it just continues to mess up over and over and over. The first month, it just died. Had it towed, the dealer said it was an ignition problem and fixed it. Then a few months later, everything started going on - Id be driving down the road and the horn would start blaring full blast or the winshield wipers would come on full blast or the radio would crank itself all the way up. I had to pull over and turn the car off to make it stop. Dealer said it was some kind of computer thing and fixed it. This week my emission light came on, so today I couldnt get it inspected. Have to take it in again tomorrow. Seriously? Its a freakin brand new car!

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  Same issues - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By iwrkhrd2 - December 6 - 9:16 am

  I have a 2011 Journey purchased in July 2011, its in teh shop for the 5th time. I havent had the dead battery issue but Ive had most everything else. I think the car get scared to be alone. You get out of it and lock the doors and it fights with you blowing the horm and unlocking the door usually 3-6 times. You get in the car to start it and if you wait long enough the dash lights will start to go from bright to dim and then back and forth. The HVAC system will sometimes turn everything on high and set the temps at 84 degrees when you start the car but then the next time when you shut the car off it wont turn the HVAC system off until you open the door.

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  great car but lousy service - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By rhofwinnssc - December 1 - 4:53 pm

  I bought this car used six months ago. I have had problems with the car starting, the starter was finally replaced after ten - twenty visits to a dealer. Now six months later the car will not start and I call the Chrysler corporation feeling as if they will help make me whole. Nothing doing, I took the car to a authorized dealer and found out that it was a faulty wireless module and key. You can guess what happened, your warranty does not cover it and you have to pay seven hundred dollars to have it repaired. What a kicker!!! If you plan on purchasing the Journey buy brand new, this is why I will not purchase another American made car. Foreign dealers make customers whole.

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  Premature replacement of ball joints and control arms - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By tml4579 - November 24 - 3:22 pm

  IÂ’ve gone through the proper channels with Dodge/Chrysler to try to get a resolution on this matter but have been advised there is nothing they can do for me. At this point I just want it on record what my experience as a consumer has been like dealing with them on a manufacturing issue. I found out a few months ago that my car was in need of ball joints and control arms. The car was less than 5 years old with less than 60k miles when the problem started to occur. The dealership gave me a quote for repairs of $895.36. I am single mother just barely getting by so naturally I didnÂ’t pay for the repairs because I donÂ’t have that type of money. So week after week I just had to drive the car a

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  MY front end is gone... - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By poorcar - November 21 - 8:00 pm

  I own a 2007 dodge caliber and the front end is gone, it has less then 60thousand miles on it..and i did all the oilchanges/tires and normal wear and tear.. i went in for my normal oil change and the mechanic said my front end is gone...: lower ball joints and right tie rod end..what is going on here i called dodge and they said i might have gone over a curb and that would of done the damage to my car...are they serious... a curb. i want all my money back and want to buy a car that will last... i am in shock..has anyone had this problem or am i alone..no recalls, i cant even drive my car until i get it fixed... what am i going to do.. i have to work.. please has anyone else experienced this

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  Well it started off being a nice car.... - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By whodoctork9 - November 13 - 2:20 am

  Bought the car and didnt have any trouble the first year, second year the computer was replaced and alternator and battery. Then the battery was replaced again. The car kept running the battery down so I took the alternator to a parts store to be checked, it came out ok - 4 times checked. They said the computer does the regulating for the alternator so I will have to get the computer checked AGAIN. If anyone has any ideas, please submit to me. I have checked the car with a diagnostic computer and its returning no errors. Battery light stays on when cranked.

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  I think I got a lemon - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By sheriday - November 4 - 3:20 pm

  In 2006, I bought my 2005 dodge magnum the first time I saw the magnum I knew that was going to be my next vehicle I would own. Well since having my magnum I have put 8 tires on it, 3 tire rod ends,and an all whell alignment cause you cant just have a front or back you have to have them all done at once, brakes for the works all around twice, and the rocker panels are held up with plastic clips that cost $5.00 per clip. The front dash rattles without the heat on. There is so much rattles in the front end. And recently I was driving down the road and it was like it went into neutral all by itself and my headlights go dim just randomly. Great car if you have lots of money for the repairs.

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  Dodge forgot about quality - 2011 Dodge Caliber
  By usspecialist - October 9 - 3:20 pm

  This car was purchased in February 2011 and 3 month into owning the vehicle i notice rust, paint chips, and the rear window started getting a weird diamond pattern. Also, the car started to run rough.

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  abandoned - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By irate - September 12 - 10:17 pm

  If youre thinking about buying a 2011 Dodge Durango with a 5.7 hemi "dont do it" unless you dont mind driving a vehicle that feels like its miss-firing. In fact, the problem is so bad Im taking a loss on mine and trading it in for another vehicle with only 6000 miles - after being totally abandoned by both the dealership and Dodge customer service citing the condition Im feeling is a characteristic of the vehicle by design for fuel efficiency. A cute play of words that leave you no recource. I will never ever step foot into a Dodge dealership again....