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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  Rather have my Jeep back! - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By Rather have my Jeep - September 3 - 9:09 am

  I have had to have the car repainted due to faulty paint at factory. At 30,000 miles we had to replace front and back rotors and pads. There is a shimmy in the chassis from a newly diagnosed "bad Kumho tire" that only costs $267.00 per tire to repair. Beware! Cannot buy any other tire for the 19" rims other than kumho. This was not disclosed at purchase.

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  Very Disappointing. Will Never Buy Again - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By amandas26 - September 1 - 7:56 pm

  Ive owned this car for about 3 years now and have constantly been having issues with the brakes. My power steering is about ready to go out for the second time. My radio shorted out and as soon as I got that fixed my Sirius radio quit working. Trunk leaks etc. I had a 97 Plymouth Breeze for 5 yrs. and never even had to replace the battery the whole time I owned it, I only had to get the head gasket replaced WAY after 100,000 miles. The Avenger is nowhere close to that and it already runs like a car that is 10 yrs. old. What happened Chrysler? Other than all of the mechanical problems, and hard hits to the checkbook, the car looks great! I still get compliments almost everyday.

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  Exhausted! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By kristy - September 1 - 4:37 pm

  I have had to take my Journey back to the dealership SEVEN times for brakes/rotors. It is currently there as we speak. they are running tests to see what I am doing to the car? What the heck? I am not doing ANYTHING to the darn car! It is a piece of junk! Chrysler should really do a recall and help the owners get out of the car! I am not satisfied at all!! I have had 3 cases open with Chrysler and they will not do anything to help! I will NEVER again buy a Chrysler!! AC issues, alarm going off for no reason (and you can not make it stop)..they say they cant find the problem! Really? The problem is this car is not worth all of the headache it is causing!

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  Journey - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By Journey - August 31 - 2:49 pm

  I have the nicest or shall I say the most expensive Journey. My Dodge Journey has been a nightmare. At 10,000 miles I needed new rotors at 11,000 new brake pads and now at 21,000 new rotors again. My computer box is going out, when I start the car nothing works. IO have to turn it off, wait and restart it. The trans mission hums when sitting at a stop light. I cant even back out of my driveway because if I over extend the wheel a tad it makes a very loud grinding noise. I have had some other parts on the turning wheel parts replaced. My car has been in the shop more than I have had it. Then it comes back with the same problems. The visibility is so bad I have a hard time backing up.

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  Need a Brake recall - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Patricia Kinion - August 26 - 11:22 am

  The front brakes on the 2009 Dodge Journey needed new pads and the rotors turned at 14,422 miles. After reading the other reviews, I realize that this cars will need this service on both front and back brakes every 14,000- 20,000 miles because of the design of the brakes. It is ridiculous. Chrysler should redesign the brakes and have a recall. I filed a complaint with www.nhtsa.com and Chrysler Corp. and I asking every other Journey owner with this problem to do the same. "The squeaky wheel gets the most grease" No pun intended.

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  Not Happy - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By lisa - August 26 - 9:45 am

  To start we love the style and the amount of room inside the nitro. Bought it because our daughter is 61" and had to fit in the back seat. This where the love ends we have had so many issues with this SUV . We bought new hoping not to have repair bills. Not the case. Lots of broken non-functioning parts the latest the two front door handles broke within a week of each other now we have to open the windows to get out. SAFETY HAZARD YES. Very disappointed in this vehicle we will never buy Dodge again there has been no help from the dealership they always brush things off until the warranty is over. No more Dodges for us..

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  Tear tear, cry cry. - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Vladsly - August 24 - 5:22 pm

  2/5*. Not a very good car. I worked at a company where they gave out company cars and it was either this or a Ford Taurus X. So I tested both and the Dodge went better. Well, after 50,000 KM, The brakes had problems. The quality of the car is very bad. The armrest in the back is just plain ugly and isnt comfortable and if you put up the 3rd row of seats, you cant fit a bread in. Now at my new job, this is the only car they are giving so now I have 2 journeys in my garage. My new one still has the fresh car smell (1900 KMs) and I am already starting to have problems. VERY BAD. DONT BUY. Now I cant wait to sell it and buy something good.

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  Wish I never bought Caliber! - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Patricia - August 24 - 5:09 pm

  I bought my caliber in December of 07, since then, Ive had to replace my gas gauge (and its still messed up), my tire pressure light goes on and off whenever if wants, MY BRAKES are horrible! dodge wont do anything about it, they squeak, they get stuck, and it makes the car shake when I brake. Dodge uses cheap materials to make their cars. If I could go back I would definitely not have even looked into this car.

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  Body problems - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By H.shirk - August 24 - 12:08 pm

  The car is an ok deal for the money. However, there is absolutely no acceleration at all unless you have the pedal to the medal. Lots of brake and rotor problems. The mirrors on the visors have both broken due to the heat in the summer. Seriously needs a recall. Took months to fix the passenger side and now waiting for the driver side to come in stock. Caution* Do not look in the mirror until the car has completely cooled down. That takes about 30 minutes or more by the way and then you will be freezing to death. Guess I would rather freeze than leave part of my rear melted to the seat.

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  Fantastic Utility for the Price - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Mathew - August 22 - 12:11 pm

  Bought the car 2 years ago and it has been a solid performer. We have put 25,000 miles on it with no major issues. It has been used for road trips, day trips, moving and commuting. We have been averaging 29 mpg. That said, its not very fun to drive. The cvt is not very responsive to sudden additions of throttle which makes it difficult to accelerate smoothly when moving along with traffic. It rides nice and handles ok if you are driving the speed limit but it doesnt inspire "spirited" driving. I plan to add after market springs to help it handle better and try to add rear disc brakes for better stopping. All in all, its a good car with lots of leg & head room and good utility.