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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  Loved it until - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By MommaWhitney - July 4 - 8:39 pm

  I loved this car and it was perfect for our growing family. It fits 2 very big car seats including one that is rear facing with hardly any problems. It has tons of storage for the kids toys and anything extra. And I love the all around look of the car. BUT at around 2 yrs (20,000 miles) I started having very similar problems as all the other reviewers. Even my mother in law who bought one right after me was having the same issues. Im sad to say that the way dodge is handling the problems of 2009 journeys is going to cost them many customers. Its not worth buying a new car when you have to replace it two years later. Which is what I will be doing tomorrow, if I can trade it in for what I owe!

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  From bad to worse - 2004 Dodge Caravan
  By George - July 1 - 10:22 pm

  Our first one was 1997 Plymouth Voyager 3.L, Transmission went at 20k and then again at 100k.Had it rebuild by specialty shop and traded the van at 270k with no further issues. Mitsubishi 3.l engine never needed a tune-up! This one is 2004 special edition with 73k and transmission went without warning. A $3,000.00 repair cost plus towing. We do not complain, paid little, got little in return. Chrysler delivered as expected another poor quality product.

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  Paperweight - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Rychkid - June 23 - 9:02 am

  I purchased this car used, primarily for the size, looks, and 4WD. While the 4WD is great in the snow, everything else is a nightmare. It was in the shop 6x in the first 3 mos. The transmission went at 80K, upper ball joints at 82K, brakes at 85K, A/C & heat at 87K, power steering at 100K, leaking oil at 108K. This is the biggest piece of garbage that I have ever owned. I absolutely hate this vehicle. Do yourself a huge favor and steer clear. Its not built to last at all. The room inside & 4WD are great, but the price of repairs and annoyance factors will drive you insane. I cant wait to pick up my new vehicle. Again, stay far, far away.

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  Big mistake, never again - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By not happy - June 20 - 11:33 pm

  This car is barely over 100,000 miles, and I keep hearing once the intrepid gets too a 100,000 miles the car is done with, unless you want to keep putting more money into it. Recently had to replace the engine on it. Still not working right, its hot outside and cant even run the a/c without the car dying. Brakes are horrible, and the heater core has been replaced at least 3 times. I would never ever recommend a dodge intrepid to anyone. I wish i would have never bought this car. With all the problems these stupid cars are giving everyone, Dodge should give everyone thier money back, or give us a better reliable car. If your thinking about buying this car, DONT you will regret it

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  Very unhappy - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By ivynmiami - June 17 - 3:30 pm

  Had a bad accident and had to replace my Toyota corolla at 3 months pregnant though a minivan was going to be the best thing. I have 2 car payments a month one for the lender the other for the mechanic. I have had to change the motor seals timing belt motor mounts and now the cv joints. The car is comfortable and I love my minivan just hate that it has given me repair headaches. Maybe they are good cars but my turned out to be a big lemon.

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  I wish I could read a review like before - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By MTwrangler - June 16 - 10:48 pm

  When we purchased the car used, all was well, the car road nice and was quiet, fun to drive. It got 22-28 MPG, depending on conditions, all was well. Now 5 years later, the car misfires, shutters, and the known cause is mystery. It has many rattles and noises in the front end. The seats are not comfortable. We also went through early alignment issues, etc. It also has fairly bad brake fade and shutter, once the discs heat up.

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  We bought a lemon! - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By junk - June 8 - 6:58 am

  My wife and I purchased this $30,000 dollar headache, has been in shop 9 times and left us on side the road waiting on a tow. Dodge has only allowed us only one rental, my wife drives an hr to work and has had to buy a $800.00 car so she wont get fired and they have been very rude on the phone. We have had many issues with the journey. We bought a lemon please beware, once they sell them to you they are done they dont care. Thank you, upset in KY.

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  Ball joint blues - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By Ball joint blues - May 31 - 11:22 pm

  I bought my Durango used, had it checked out by my mechanic and then took it on a long trip. (OK, I know, that was dumb). When I went to get the alignment done, they said they couldnt do it because of bad ball joints. It was covered under warranty AND so was the next set 10K miles later. Last summer I had to replace the ball joints again. It has a nice inside but my power windows gave out around 130k miles. I drove it to 202K miles and the 4WD has gone out. I kept very good maintenance on it but stuff has just starting going. The front bumper is rusting.

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  Good Rental Car - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By JW2467 - May 10 - 8:03 pm

  The Dodge Caliber should be a hit with rental car companies. My car is reliable, and it gets good MPG. BUT it is very uncomfortable to ride in this car. Not much room for anything. Rear inside blind does not come out, so it really limits what you can put in the back. Went to trade it off, and found out Calibers do not hold there value at all. My next car will not be a Dodge, cause I am not thrilled with this car.

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  3 yrs old and hate it!!! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By jr08 - May 7 - 3:09 pm

  Where do I start? Only 12,000 miles on it, first car I bought on my own so I was all excited to drive it around and show it off. Dec. 08, driver side tie rod was bad, still under warranty so got it replaced. A little after that I had to have the computer reprogrammed because it wasnt shifting and I had to do it manually. About 6 months after that I had to get new tires. Dec. 09, I was told my right side tie rod was going bad along with my ball joint on left side. March 10, I had to replace tie rod, ball joint and lower control arm on both side. I drive 30 miles one way to school and drive there 2-3 times a week.....getting uncomfortable with this car.