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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  Never again will I buy a Dodge - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jleh - July 23 - 10:00 am

  At 5 years and 60,174 miles the van broke down. After two weeks and $2200 to repair the cam shaft, valves, head gasket, etc. I drove the van three more weeks before it broke down again with the exact same problem. It appears now that there is something wrong behind the engine block and it will require a new motor. I thought vehicles are suppose to last more than sixty thousand miles and five years. I will never buy another product from Dodge/Chrysler product.

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  Lots of storage, lots of problems - 2001 Dodge Caravan
  By Soringfield Dodge - July 17 - 4:27 pm

  Purchased this vehicle new, and maintained it to the letter. It has received much better treatment than it has provided us. We have kept it because the value plummets as soon as you take ownership of it, and its trade-in value tanks overnight. Mostly steering/front suspension problems have been reoccurring although the cooling system has been problematic as well.We will never buy another Chrysler product again, although other consumer reviewers have had much better experiences with their Caravans. So much for quality control.

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  Never by a dodge again! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By sherry - July 13 - 12:40 am

  Loved the looks of this car. had never owned a dodge, and will never again. when first bought the car, the steering pulled to the right and steering wheel vibrated. Had it to dealership 6 times! It got a little better, not much. Then when summer came, the A/C started stinking. I thought the drain tube might be stopped up and took it in expecting an easy fix. Had it to dealership 4 times and they said they couldnt duplicate the problem. Called Daimler and was told to not run my A/C on recirc. Are you kidding! Took the car to another Dodge dealer and was left standing on the parking lot by the service manager! He said "dont know what to tell you" and walked away! Dont buy a journey!

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  Poor Economics - 2001 Dodge Caravan
  By Money Pit Mobile - July 9 - 8:44 pm

  Bought our van new in 2001. Maintained to the letter, and above, but always some kind of a problem. Devaluation rate after purchase mind boggling. Many problems with the front suspension and steering, starting at week one. It is versatile and nice on the highway, but the main reason we kept it is due to the fact we lost such a large amount of money on its low resale value and we have spent so much on repairs. Would not recomend buying a Doge van to someone unless you have a terrible grudge to settle

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  This is the worst vehicle i have ever owned. - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By scoobong - June 29 - 9:02 pm

  I would NOT recommened the Dodge Grand Caravan to anyone... I Bought a Brand New dodge Caravan and it has been in the shop for 4-5 recalls Plus i had put new brakes, calipers, and rotors after 8 months of driving it. Plus it just randomly shuts off, after you start it. The keys seldom unlock the doors, you have to manually, and its been to the shop for that twice already. I put less time and money into my old 1970 Ford Maverick. Just over 100,000 and my transmision is starting to go. I brought it in for warranty work once then they tried to tell me my muffler needed to be replaced and they would do it for$ 900.00 i said no then got a second opion and they said the muffler was fine.

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  NEED TO DUMP MY DODGE! - 2004 Dodge Caravan
  By netraluv96 - June 19 - 4:04 pm

  I have not liked this van since the purchase and I am now in great need to get rid of it. I have replaced the brakes once and they are in need of repair in only a year and a half of wear. I have replaced the spark plugs and now the car is doing this weird thing when you turn the AC on the engine starts stuttering and at times will cut off. The seat belts do not fit my kids car seats and I do not feel that they have a top notch car for safety to travel in. The body is not very sturdy. I do not recommend this van to anyone.

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  Worst Car Ever.. - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By morgan06 - June 13 - 9:19 am

  Please please do not buy this unless you are extremely well off and can afford to replace everything! I have had nothing but problems since I got it 2 years ago. It has 70,000 miles and has had a new timing belt, housing unit, magnetic cam sensor, computer and more that i cannot remember now....and it still is not working. The dodge dealer cant figure it out! Do not buy this car. Spend a little more and get something reliable that works.

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  not good - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By wayne hersel - June 8 - 9:15 pm

  truck is a V-6 and I have had nothing but problems. I will be driving along at 60 mph and it will die, sometimes backfire and then when I turn the key off sometimes wont start. I have replaced computer, coil, fuel pump, tune up, and numerous odds and ends they havent replaced and it continues to cut out. Has anyone else had this kind of problem. I now have more into in last year than it is worth.

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  WARNING ABOUT BUYING A 2008 AVENGER - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By WORST CAR TO OWN - June 1 - 10:37 am

  I purchased my 2008 Avenger in April 2008. I am very disappointed with it. I have 12,478 miles on it. Brakes grind, door and side pannels creek like crazy...cant find that problem to fix, Im on my 4th mygig radio(Keeps Freezing up). Sluggish tranny(4cyl). Front noises when you turn or go over a bump. AC doesnt work well, numerous blind spots, chrome plasic around shifter inside blinds driver, poorly designed trunk pours water into the trunk when wet and many many more just running out of room. PLEASE DO NOT BUY ONE.JUNK This is just the worst car I have ever owned. Back in 1997 I had a brand new avenger and loved it so I thought I would take a chance with the 2008. What a mistake.

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  Terrible! Do not purchase one! - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By LL - May 13 - 3:04 pm

  Too many recalls to count. The car has stalled numuerous times, while waiting at a red light in traffic. Brake rotors and pads have been changed at 12,000 and 19,000 miles. They need to be replaced again at 27,000 miles. Paint is fading between back tires and rear passenger doors. In July 2008, dealership put on plastic film to stop the paint job from getting worse. The paint is now fading around the coating. On each side of the car, there is a 8 x 10 inch area that is light gray (versus the dark gray paint job. A terrible car for the money. Better to buy a Chevy Malibu or a Ford Fusion.