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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  My Brand New Dodge Charge went up in flames - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By Margarita Amini - September 11 - 10:00 pm

  Park my car, went to have lunch, when I heard a customer say: Theres a car on fire. Turns out It was mine. I can see through the window of the restaurant white smoke, then flames. I ran to try to salvage my belongings but it was to late. When the fire was turned off my fire department there was nothing left of my brand new Dodge Charger. This car was my second Charger Ive purchased. Its an amazing car. I took care of it like it was my baby. Having it details monthly and serviced accordingly with the dealer. What happened, we still dont know. Why? Im just grateful that I, or my children where not in the car when this happened. Not to mentioned that I parked it in my garage all the time with just a few feet away from my living room. It could have been worst. What happens next? Will this be covered under warranty? Not even a year old.

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  What a Mistake - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Ineedacar - July 7 - 5:29 am

  Know a good repair shop

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  ILL NEVER AGAIN BUY A DODGE !!!!!!!! - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By DODGE HATER - April 28 - 3:33 pm

  IVE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH THIS VEHICLE.. ITS A LEMON ! THE DEALERSHIP ( SECURITY DODGE )AND CHRYSLER ARE NOT IN THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION BUSINESS. ONCE YOU BUY THE VEHICLE YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.A BUDDY OF MINE ALSO HAS A DURANGO BUT WITH A 318 CI AND ENGINE BLEW AT 34,000 MILES,DEALER GAVE HIM A HARD TIME REPLACING MOTOR TRYING TO SAY NOT UNDER WARRANTY.

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  Recurring problem with brand new van - 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dandkarcher@aol.com - March 24 - 3:41 am

  I bought this brand new van to feel safe while transporting our family of 6 around. At 3,000 miles all of a sudden the windshiled wipers came on and would not turn off, all of the warning lights came on, a "No Bus" code appeared and I lost power to all the sliding doors. I have had it in for service twice (both times they kept it for a week). They are taking electrical components all apart (harness wires, etc) which makes me nervous because things never go back together the same way. The problem is still happening at random times and it always seems to be after business hours. The most recent time was while driving in a busy downtown area and I had no operating turn signals and did not feel safe driving this vehicle. The dealership and the headquarters want me to basically drive the vehicle (with no prediction of how long this will take) until the problem happens so that they can get an "active code" reading to help fix the problem. So here I am with a brand new unreliable vehicle that I spent thousands and thousands of dollars on that is now requiring multiple service appointments. The whole reason I went for a new vehicle was to have a reliable vehicle that I did not have to take in for service all the time.

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  Hate This Van More Every Day - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dogleg1 - January 7 - 1:26 pm

  After over seven months driving this van I cant wait to get rid of it. It has to be the roughest ride ever and the road and motor noise comes right into the car.You feel every little bump: it rides like a lumber wagon. Chrysler and the dealer (Mac Lang in Ontario , Canada) dont care. The new suspension system is a design failure. Chrysler needs to redesign this van and rebate the current owners. What a rip-off. Previously I owned five Caravans and liked them fine. Not this one.

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  Don’t buy a Dodge Journey - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By Scothalas@gmail.com - August 22 - 5:45 am

  I have nothing but problems with this car, and would never wish for anyone to buy it. Fobes, Consumer Reports and JD, power all gave a poor rating.

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  Buying this car is like rolling the dice! - 2015 Dodge Dart
  By Very concerned father - March 7 - 10:35 am

  I am writing this on behalf of my son who just bought a new Dodge Dart. He has owned it for 3 months and it has been in 2 Dodge dealerships service departments for approximately 2 of the 3 months. The engine will randomly shut off while in motion. I could not believe this until I googled the problem and read several of the online blogs. There are numerous Dart owners whos engine just shuts off. When the car gets low on oil the engine shuts off, except the engine has plenty of oil. Is it an electrical problem? NO ONE KNOWS!!! Do not buy this car!!! I am going to help my son get rid of this car. Someone is going to get killed!

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  Worst P.O.S. Ive EVER OWNES - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By William Wilke - February 28 - 12:42 pm

  This is the most unreliable car I have ever owned in my life I bought it a month ago and its been in the shop for more than 2 weeks at 25K miles. It is also a terrible highway car that tends to wander and shake at high speeds around 70 or so.