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:

• 

  Really poor quality vehicle - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Rick - November 1 - 7:11 pm

  I bought the Avenger thinking it would be a great commuter/family car. I was wrong. The car has been in the dealer 12 time with issues, stranding me on the freeway twice in 42000 miles. Tranny shifts like crap, trunk poors water inside when opened, creaks and rattles all over, hard to clean and maintain. AC has gone out, 2 sets of front roters ready for a third. Time to pay it off and trade it in.

• 

  I would not take it even if it were free - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Sandy McGhee - October 30 - 10:33 pm

  I bought this van new and cheap. Thought I was getting a deal. I should have checked this web site first. This van had transmission and engine problems and the back door latch was broken. I owned the vehicle three months and it started to act up. The worst vehicle Ive ever owned. I will never buy another Dodge/Chrysler product ever again. Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest or Mazda MPV is my next choice. We have a transmission place in our area where the owner got rich from repairing Dodge/Chrysler transmissions. This vehicle is dangerous and I feel Chryslers repeated production of this vehicle exploits women and children.

• 

  Dont do it! - 2013 Dodge Avenger
  By Kumacho - October 28 - 4:18 am

  I have had more than 25 cars in my life. Of those I have purchased 5 new cars. This is the worst new car I have ever owned and one of the worst overall cars I have ever owned. It overheated within 5,000 miles of ownership. An orange grime appeared in the overflow tank and when I took it to the dealership they told me they had seen it numerous times and it was casting material that had not been completely flushed from the system at the factory. The cruise control would refuse to turn on at times and the dealership could never reproduce it so it never was repaired. It just became an issue I had to “live with”. Fit and finish is mediocre at best. The plastic surrounding the radio and middle vents in the dash never matched and again, the dealership stated replacing it wouldn’t change the gaps or the poor fit. The car had a surge from the day I bought it. It also would start up and surge after a cold start, as if it were running too lean. After three new releases of programing for the engine management computer the surge was still there. It would surge at 25-35 mph and at 60ish mph. For 178 horse power this car has undesirable and inexcusable torque steer. Leave a light from a stop and the car will pull hard right. Leave the light under hard acceleration and if you don’t have ahold of the wheel you will do an un-commanded lane change in short order. The transmission never shifted smoothly. Going uphill it would hunt for a gear. Each time the transmission changes gears the torque steer pulls on the steering so going up a hill you are constantly correcting. The airbag warning light went off at 50,000 miles. Source was a terrible design by Dodge. There is a bungee cord pulling down on the wire bundle that leads to the headrest airbags. Place a 220 pound man in the driver’s seat with this bungee cord pulling on the wires and you get broken wires. Doesn’t take an engineer to figure that one out. Overall – Poor design, poor build quality, poor economy, horrible dealer support (or lack thereof) and a car that appears to be built to die in 5 years or less. *UPDATE* Chrysler has stopped production on the Dart, 200 and Avenger. These platforms were substandard compared with others in the same class. Since I created this review; I have traded the Avenger for a Nissan Altima. I traded it with the same company that has sold me my last 5 cars. The best they would offer me for trade was $5,600. Trouble from the day I purchased it, poor MPG, mediocre quality and a horrid resale value.

• 

  stuck for now - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By janetp - October 24 - 10:16 am

  I dont know where to begin to list the problems.lets start with the 4 acknowledged recalls, 2 of which could have killed you. here we go, the 1. rear top brake light was out by the time of first inspection, you cant replace the light bulb you have to replace the entire unit.2. all 4 tire sensors have gone at 150 each.3. headlights have been replaced 2 x, still only have 1 head lamp. 4. wipers work only in dry weather. 5fog lights blown already. 6.jumps out of 1,2,3rd gear, 7. cars wants to stall and bogs in wet weather. plastic on side of driver seat cracked and broken off.i have owned 4 dodge vehicles and am telling everyone never buy dodge again, they will not recognize any issues listed.

• 

  caliber 07 - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Caliber07 - October 20 - 10:13 pm

  This car has given me so many problems, I have had the transmisson replaced 3 times and the car still act like it dont have any speed. ready to get rid of it cant take it any more.

• 

  Would not buy another ..... - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Jean - October 3 - 12:48 pm

  Two weeks after purchasing this SUV, it went back to the dealer for various discrepancies. Problems started with brakes, roof rack, and electrical. Recently had rear brake jobs and returned the following day with ABS warning system and noisy when brake pedal is activated.

• 

  Nice Early On, Then Fell Apart - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Robert - October 3 - 9:50 am

  The first 60,000 miles were trouble-free. Then we needed a new transmission ($1900). At 96,000 miles, we needed a new Transmission Control Module ($500). Now, at 98,000 miles, we apparently need a new Body Control Module (the dash is completely dead). We had the dealer trace the wiring, and try a new wiring harness. The only thing left is the BCM. However, theres no going back with this -- its programmed with our VIN, and theres no guarantee that it will fix anything. Weve decided to sell it and buy a new one. Given their long-standing problems with transmission and electrical, Id avoid the Caravan.

• 

  lemon - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By lori454 - October 2 - 12:38 pm

  I bought this Stratus rt new in 02,Since then I have spent a small fortune keeping this thing on the road.I had a third radiator put in this summer.Went thru 5 batteries.Two starters,alternator.The brake rotors last about 7k miles and then warp.It uses a quart of oil a week.now the egr valve is shot.This car was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life.

• 

  REGRET BUYING IT - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By nam - September 22 - 11:18 pm

  I bought this car from a old guy. It looked Nice. The owner saTransmission, engine, everything under hood, and gas mileage id its good works fine. My dad said dont buy it. 2 months later my transmission broke. 10 days later my engine stopped working and my reverse never stopped. Every 10 days it was with my mechanic. Now the check engine light is always on. It runs like a piece of junk. I tried clunking it but wasnt excepted. Dont buy it

• 

  A disposable minivan. - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By Yariswhite09 - September 20 - 10:27 am

  Buying this van in February of 2000 and owning it for almost 10 years, its not what we expected of it. Dont get me wrong. It rides quite good was pretty frugal on fuel (WAS) but now is just a overtaxed sheet of metal. To start, a pair of brakes only last 15K miles (dealer never could solve the problem), a failed pwr. steering pump at 49K, and now a transmission that has trouble shifting into 2nd gear and the rubber linings around the van are all warped. And the frame is rusting out. These are disposable vans for people who keep cars for no longer then 60-70K miles. For a more reliable van, go for a Honda or Toyota van. The only thing these vans have to offer is price. No value. No quality.