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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  Worst car ever! - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By sara singh - March 8 - 10:03 am

  I have had this car for only 7 months and it has all kinds of issues, the suspension is bad, transmission, I had to replace the axles, sway bar, tie rods,bearings, had a transmission leak, break lights,etc. the list goes on and on, it has 177,000 miles on it and it has noises everywhere! I will never get a car like that again

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  I am done with Dodge Vehicles - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Cpittman - March 1 - 10:46 pm

  I stumbled upon this site just now and cant believe how many others have had the exact same issues with their Nitro as I have. Snapped door handles, wipers that just quit (at the worse times), window motors that went out (a yr into owning the vehicle), uncarriage leaks from the front and rear, TERRIBLE gas mileage, dashboards lights that would all go out and vehicle stall. I was in a bad situation when I got the truck and pressed for time so I wasnt able to research this thing like I should have. If I could go back, I NEVER would have purchased this truck and the moment I am able, Im getting rid of it!

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  better off w/ a hoopty - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By carla - February 26 - 3:39 pm

  I love my vehicle but I have been having problems with it since 9850 miles. I took it to the dealership more than ten times and they tell me there is nothing that they can do. I also have problems with the acceleration, the signal light went out at about 12,000 miles, the brakes squeek, the head lights dim when I use the inside controls, and the fuel door light stayed on for a day. The tires were not at the correct inflation level once and I fixed the problem by putting more air, y is there not a system that tells me why my car wont start some times. The people at the dealership treat me bad wish that they would have treated me like this when I was going to purchase my car.

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  Throttle Sensor NIGHTMARE - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By Ruth - February 25 - 12:11 pm

  Have had two Major issues. Bought the van and it had bad sensors everywhere. Airbags sensors bad, transmission sensor bad and the latest? throttle sensor. Fixed at a Dodge dealership. Toyota is not the only one with issues. When the throttle sensor went bad it had unintentional acceleration and nearly caused a fatality. Bad design. Hate electronic parts - especially bad ones.

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  below average, not quite a lemon - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By neon H8R - February 21 - 10:16 am

  Car bought new in 04. Around 30,000 Km the first problem arose when a computer problem was causing the engine to flutter and die. After this it ate gas for some reason and still does. Around 80,000 Km a cam shaft sensor went which was not covered under warranty. The blind spots are RIDICULOUS, even the rear window is hard to see out of. I do not feel safe making lane changes and approach every intersection and crosswalk with caution. I have almost been in numerous accidents because of them. The only piece of glass you can see out of without having some huge piece of the car blocking your view is the windshield. 6 disc changer in an idiotic place, load up before you leave your driveway.

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  Lemon - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By alitap0408 - February 19 - 10:45 am

  I bought this car three years old about four years ago. It performed great for about the first year and then it was a slippery slope not to mention an expensive one from there. I have replaced three transmissions (yes you read it right this is an automatic) and three batteries. The thing eats brake roaters for breakfast and I have to replace them about every 6 thousand miles as they warp. My lovely now has patches of white where the paint has done some sort of baking (it has been in a garage the whole time. The factory tinting on all of the windows has decided to start crawling down the windows.I think Dodge should be ashamed of themselves for putting such a poor quality vehicle on the road.

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  I LOVE MY DODGES! :} - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By Tara J - February 12 - 6:32 am

  Bought in immidate need of a car after my caravan was totaled didnt have much info barely looked it over and honestly hated it. My radio/clock didnt work, bad AC,wipers just never were enough even new, had to replace brake lines, now brake pads and forever adding oil. Horn stopped working, and highlights werent bright though bulbs were good. I barely got 17mpg in town, as much as I hated and didnt keep up manitence it was still A TANK! It got me where I needed to go and is still running strong with all that needs working on at 166000+ miles. I will miss the size, just bought a neon, but otherwise wont miss the car. Needs alot of manitence so much I just couldnt keep up. owned 18 months

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  Cargo minivan - 1992 Dodge Caravan
  By Peachydad - February 8 - 10:47 am

  Bought it used from truck dealer, cargo minivan with 3.0 l v-6, and more reliable 3 speed transmission. Ugly but generally reliable. Not that good of gas mileage for such a small van, but useful for small catering business. Almost zero resale value when traded for full size pickup, given the reputation of 4 speed trannies on these vehicles. Had an earlier 3.0 l v-6 passenger van with 4 speed and was rebuilt or repaired three times under warranty. Would not purchase Chrysler product again after that lemon, but this cargo van was cheap and didnt have that terrible trans.

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  Worst car ever made - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By Jessica - February 4 - 2:03 pm

  We havent had it long but I really wish I would not have bought it. So far it stinks in gas mileage. Gets a total of 20-25 mpg. At first I thought the gas handle was broke and the company promised to fix it in 3 months. We call back and they say 3 more months. It cant move in snow, I got stuck in my drive way but me buick got out just fine. Its broken down with only 6252 miles on it. If you asked me "should I buy this car?" I would say NEVER EVER EVER buy this car.

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  Disappointed Buyer - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Disappointed Buyer - February 2 - 6:35 pm

  I love the look of the Dodge Nitro but it has not been a reliable car. Its possible I received a lemon because I have had the following problems.. 1. Back Windshield Wiper snapped in half the second time it was used. 2. At least twice a month the dash board lights all come on, the bells start ringing and the car stalls for a moment and then runs again. 3. 2 of the 4 windows do not work. 4. 2 of the 4 door handles snapped in half so you have to roll down the working window to open the door from the outside. 5. Windshield wipers stall when it rains hard. (Almost had an accident from this). 6. Brakes making noises. Called Chrysler regarding recalls. They said vin doesn match recalls.