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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  Buysomethingelse - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By 09SEG1Kover - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Awesome design, blast from the past. Just wish they put more thought into building this car. Weve had it for almost 3 yrs and have 18,000 miles on her. We belong to several car clubs amd keep the car in SHOW condition at any one moment. The plastic black trim pieces have all been replaced due to discoloring and warping. The dash has been replaced due to no support around front passenger air bag. And the dash is sinking again in less than a yr after they fixed it the first time. Just brought it back to dealership, and they wont fix it again. They say its just the design. The door sill, hood, and truck areas always get wet and dirty from poor design of seals. Way under powered V6.

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  Forewarned! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Tara - October 12 - 2:00 am

  This car has been interesting to say the least. I like the design and gas mileage but as I am writing this my car is having its back brakes replaced after last week having the transmission replaced. This past spring we had the front breaks replaced. What will be next. I contacted Chrysler and they have no recalls! Clearly there is a huge problem with this vehicle. Our dealership has been wonderful. I will contact Dodge with a formal complaint along with consumer protection. Any advice would be appreciated. I miss my Pacifica that I traded in for this car! If Chrysler does not address this we will be purchasing a GM product, unfortunate in that we have owned over 10 Chrysler vehicles.

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  No Brakes - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By mommy22 - October 3 - 2:00 am

  Like everyone else I am having brake and rotor problems, mine were at 14,000 mi, I was lucky as a "one time customer courtesy they were only charging me $100.00 deductible"

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  Not so good - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By Chris K - September 25 - 2:00 am

  When I bought this SE car in 2002, it ran great, no trouble at all for 5 years. At 86,000 miles and after spotless maintenance checks and oil changes-- the engine died (2.7L). I found out from many forums online-- that the 2.7L engine was total junk. The oil passages in it are microscopic which leads to oil starvation of the various parts. This is a design flaw! There is no warning! One minute the car is running, the next it stops. In my engine, the timing chain tensioner quit (oil driven)-- the OHC failed, leading to valve breakage-- result, total junk engine. For those of you whose engine is still running- you are extremely lucky! But beware-- your engine could fail at any moment!

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  Mine is going bye bye! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By chip - September 23 - 2:00 am

  Well, after 30 months of wondering what will go wrong next. Tomorrow is my lucky day I am returning this car to the dealership where it came from. Last weekend I bought a Nissan awd and they paid off my final lease payments. Its so sad. This could be/should be a good car. And I feel so bad for anyone thinking of getting one or that has just gotten one. They have no idea what they are in for. Lesson learned. Do your research before you sign for a new car. I feel like buying a huge billboard someplace to vent my disappointment in this car. About the only good thing I can say is that it was good in snow but the four tires only lasted through one winter. And they are very expensive.

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  Avoid this dog - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Needanothercar - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Multiple electrical failures, intermittent service interruption of the satellite radio, trim and fascia falling off, fit and finish not up to snuff. Its the same old Dodge turd, re-badged and slapped with a fresh coat of paint. Theyve learned nothing since the 70s. Im going to willingly take a $3,000 hit to get out of this thing. Avoid it at all costs.

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  Unhappy in becida - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By unhappy in becida - September 9 - 2:00 am

  We have had our Dodge Journey 2010 and we started jerking back and forward when you get to about 55/60 mph this started a month we got it . Now its been three weeks that they have had it and still dont know what is wrong with it. Wish we had kept our van.

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  Dont waste your money! - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By guest - September 8 - 12:39 pm

  I bought this car in 2007 for almost 11 grand. That was my first mistake. It had 20k miles on it n I traded it in at 56k just in may of 2010. During the time I had it, I didnt feel safe. I would pull out into the road and sometimes it would stop me in the middle of the road. I had issues with fuses and my gauges not working. I replaced 2 02 sensors and a battery. I lived only 12 miles away from work and I feel like I fueled up all the time. In the winter, when I started it up, it would start jumping and the lights would flicker and it would shut off on me all the time. Its left me sit several times. I traded it in a few months ago and its the best thing Ive ever done!

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  Cute, fun, but loud w/front end issues - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By janefrommaine - September 6 - 2:54 pm

  I like the comfort, look and gas mileage. I dont like the road noise, the front inner and outer tie rod ends have had to be replaced a number of times already at only 37000 miles. I would not advise buying this model. There are large blind spots.

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  Brakes and Peeling Paint - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Frustrated - September 5 - 3:30 am

  I also had to replace brakes. I am also having the issue with peeling paint on the rear view mirrors now. Of all the cars I have purchased in my life this is the worst experience with a car I have had. I will no longer purchase Chrysler products based on my experience with this car. I was a loyal Chrysler customer prior to this experience. Chrysler refuses to do anything about the issues.