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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  Dont buy one. - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By Little puppy - June 20 - 2:00 am

  Poor performace Uncomfortable Unsafe brakes Miserable gas mileage Flimsy Unreliable What a mistake, My wife liked better than a "minivan" when we bought it. Now it just sits. It has been in and out of the shop most of its life

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  ? - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By Ihatedurango - June 10 - 2:00 am

  You feel every bump in the road. This vehicle for some reason came with front disc brake, no rear brakes. Terrible if you drive in stop and go traffic. I feel Ive been taking ripped off when I traded in my 97 Durango thinking I would get a more luxurious model with leather seats, Infinity surround speakers. But instead, I got this vehicle for 2 and a half more years.

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  Crapavan - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Mr. Swizenheimer - June 3 - 2:00 am

  A week after I bought this crap, it was back in the dealership being repaired. Then the sliding doors jammed and stayed open, another trip to the dealership. The lights went out in the middle of the night and i crashed the car, completely ruined, but when it was crashed it looked better then it did before. Never buy this crap, I cant believe I bought it. i would have prefered a matress on wheels.

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  Engineering and Quality control joke - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Waste of Money - May 22 - 5:43 pm

  My wife felt she needed a van to haul the kids in, she now can not wait to get rid of the thing. It has to have tires replaced too often, brakes are poor design and undersized, causing often replacement. Both power slide doors had to have motors replaced under warranty, passenger side motor has failed again and I am not paying to replace. The transmission shifts vary hard. Front suspension joints had to be replaced at 45,000 miles. ABS control module fried at 47,000 miles. The heat is always on unless you turn the fans off, good thing it is winter now. Fuel economy is less than impressive, and if anyone is wondering, neither one of us drive fast or push the vehicle hard.

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  Dodge - Lives up to its name! - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By ipfreely - April 26 - 2:00 am

  Typical Chrysler product! A/C system has failed 4 times, total repair costs exceed $2500. Transmission failed twice ($3200). Radiator replaced ($300). Electrical system failures ($600). Valve lifter collapse (est $1200 to fix). Steering rack ($1100). Five sets of tires in 90K miles because the front end wont stay in line. Paint peeling off. Radio display quit at 50K. Never has seen over 14 mpg on highway. Unless it comes in on a tow truck, dealer "cant duplicate the problem".

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  bad car! - 2002 Dodge Viper
  By rock_119 - April 15 - 2:00 am

  Big motor woopty doo... Car gets 80000 miles on it and it blows... this is with good treatment too.

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  Dont Buy!!!!!!!! - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By UNHAPPY - March 19 - 2:00 am

  These cars head gaskets only last 60000 miles and are very costly to repair. Read more about the head gasket problem on internet. These cars also lose value quickly. I bought in 11/99 for $7300 and Value today is only $4700

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  Huge Disappointment - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Huge Disappointment - March 18 - 4:16 pm

  I bought this car in October and have already traded it in. It was in the shop more than i drove it. Power steering hose, PC board, alignment, creaking noises, grinding noises are just few of the problems. I cant say anything good about this car, i went back to my Pontiac and love it.

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  Got the Wobbles - 2013 Dodge Avenger
  By Jon - March 8 - 4:18 am

  Okay. So I have had my 2013 Avenger for about a year and a half. Im sitting at 68,700 miles. A few months ago my brakes completely locked up and I couldnt even move my car. Cost my almost $1,000 to get it fixed. Now not even 3 months later my brakes are squeaking again. Terrible on brakes! Also a current issue.. I dont know if its the transmission or what, but the entire car feels like its vibrating and the steering wheel is especially wobbley. I hate it. Its so annoying! I will be trading this car in as soon as I can afford to and I will advise everyone who is looking for a new car not to purchase a Dodge Avenger. Terrible car!

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  poor car - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By gman - February 26 - 11:51 pm

  too many repairs to the transmission.costly repairs to the struts.poor electrical system and noisy interior.