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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  DO NOT BUY A DODGE JOURNEY - 2014 Dodge Journey
  By Amber Braan - August 30 - 7:32 pm

  **BE WARNED** My husband purchased a brand new 2014 Dodge Journey last year as a gift for me. It has turned out to be the biggest nightmare in our automobile purchasing history. The car always had a lag when stepping on the gas, but we were told that the reason was because it was a 4.0 and little power. We accepted that answer and, other then the lag, were happy with the car. When the car was approximately 4 months old the touch screen started going out and would turn black for a little under a minute before turning back on. We took it in and were told the diagnostic check found nothing wrong and there was nothing they could do since they could not tell where the problem was coming from. This started happening more and more often. Then, when the car was between 10 and 11 months old the speedometer went out of wack. The dial was reading correctly showing I was traveling at 65mph while the digital screen was showing I was traveling at 115mph. That night, on my ride home from work, the touch screen went out along with the lights. So, here I was, traveling on a dark highway by myself with no lights. I pulled over to the shoulder of the highway and turned the car off, waited a few minutes and turned it back on. When I turned it back on, it drove as normal and all the lights worked. I filled the tank with gas and continued my drive home. When I turned onto my street, my car began making a very loud knocking noise. When I stepped on the gas the noise grew louder. Luckily, I had picked up my 2 sons on the way home. My boys had to get out and push the car 3 blocks to my house since I was the only one could steer. The next morning, my husband towed the car to the dealership. The mechanics then told my husband that we had put the wrong gas in the car and destroyed the engine. My son had pumped the gas the night before and was certain he used unleaded. The attendant at the gas station was nice enough to pull the tape from the night we were there and my husband watched my son use the correct gas. When he went to the dealership to inform them he was told the mechanic said we used ethanol. My husband pointed out that all gas contains ethanol. The mechanic then stated that it SMELLED like 85% ethanol and that was what destroyed the engine. Smells like 85%? How can a regular human being smell a percentage in a liquid or gas? So, my husband asked if it had been tested. The answer was no. My car was in the shop for almost 3 weeks and I was given a rental car with no 3rd row. Mind you, we have 5 kids. For the time we were in the rental we were unable to go anywhere as a family because Dodge refused to give us a bigger rental. Ive had my car back for 2 weeks now and the problems with the lights, the touch screen, and the speedometer have started again. We called corporate and were told the best they could do was 2 years of free oil changes. When we did not accept they asked us to take the car back into the dealership and they would make sure there was a rental with a 3rd row ready for us. On Saturday morning and after a 14 hour shift at work, my husband took the car in. Can anyone guess what happened next? He was told there were no rentals available. Not a single one. When he asked what would happen if the car stopped working during the weekend...he had shoulders shrugged at him and was told to call corporate. So, here we are. Stuck with this awful car because we were obviously sold a lemon and Dodge refuses to correct the situation. Please, DO NOT BUY A DODGE JOURNEY. Save yourself a whole lot of heartache and trouble. But, most importantly, dont buy a dodge journey for the safety of your family. #dontbuyadodge

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  Worst car I ever own - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By sam - August 29 - 10:42 am

  If they said why it s a family car when its an unreliable car it has stop with me twice on the highway with Ann 11months baby the car overheat bought the car in March and 2 weeks after car started give me trouble stay away stay away dont waste your money I regretted buying this car and sad thing is its finance its a death machine that can kill your family anytime

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  This SUV reliability sucks!!! - 2015 Dodge Journey
  By Vannessa - August 19 - 12:07 am

  We purchased a 2015 Dodge Journey with only 13 miles in less than 24hrs the vehicle shut down on us 3x it has been in for service 3x with the problem happening more than 10x even while on the highway with my children in the vehicle. The dealership refused to trade it out!! Even if we were within our 30day warranty 2,500 miles warranty period!!! I would NOT recommend this vehicle to anyone!!!! Now there is 4 other Dodge journey in for service for the same problem as mine!!! So discussed with the service at Dodge Larry H. Miller in Avondale, AZ.

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  Not what I thought it would be. ... - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By Daddy-O - August 17 - 10:06 pm

  First, I didnt buy new so I cant say anything prior but since Ive owned it (3 months), its been in the shop 5 times for strange popping noises in front end area. Ive taken it to two different dealers and have gotten two different reasons why is doing it. But neither say it can be repaired. One says its a design flaw, the other just doesnt know why. Bottom line, its a great looking piece of junk. I wonder if it was really built by Yugo!

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  Goodbye Dodge - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By Mariah W - August 8 - 12:18 pm

  I grew up riding in Dodge vehicles and they were always great. Its clear now that Dodge is more concerned with the bottom line than with producing a safe, dependable vehicle. Every Dodge vehicle that my family has owned in this millennium has had chronic problems and ultimately died because of cheap, shoddy workmanship. Ive owned 3 and this is absolutely my last one. A shame, too, because Id love a Charger but I dont trust these cars as far as I can throw them. I bought mine used with ~148K miles. The engine only had ~40. That tells you something right there, but I figured hey, new engine. A/C never worked, no matter how much money I poured into it (about a grand this year alone). No big deal though. I just live in north Texas. (Note: Sarcasm. Its 106 today w/ 67% humidity). The brakes are HORRIBLE! Youd better hope you never really need to slam on your brakes because you WILL find yourself in the trunk of the car ahead of you. ABS kicks in WAY earlier than is necessary. I dont ride my brakes and I dont brake hard, but the ABS would constantly kick in. I constantly took mine in to have the brakes checked, convinced that something was horribly wrong because theres no way they could be that bad and be "normal." They tested fine every single time. Not near enough power for how much gas they guzzle. If you want me to pay $80 every time to fill you up, youd better get up and go when I ask you to. Chronic overheating problems that cost me over 3K. Replaced the radiator twice, water pump twice, fans, all of it. Ultimately, after meticulous maintenance and thousands of dollars, mine wound up with a cracked engine block and brown gaskets, destroyed engine despite being well maintained and full of fluids, and towed back from whence it came with a "sayonara" and a finger from me. Never another Dodge. Never, ever again.

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  dodge magnum 05 de junk - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By terry fart - August 4 - 8:01 am

  05 dodge magnum shifter gets stuck in park due to cheap you plastic in shift assembly. Had it repaired at dealer for 390 but still pump brakes to get it in gear. Engine rebuilt at 60,000 miles due to lifter failure and I use synthetic 05w20 oil. This is my 3rd dodge product, never buy another. I see why they got fined 105 million

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  Most Ridiculous Car Ever Made - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Neal Buck - August 3 - 2:10 pm

  I cant believe this car was ever made. Its utterly ridiculous. First and foremost, the acceleration is practically non existent. The harder you push down the acceleration pedal, the slower the car accelerates. I think the issue is more with the automatic transmission than the actual torque, though, because it often feels like the car is starting from second gear and then realizes its not supposed to do that and jerkily downshifts to first. The suspension is a sort of princess and the pea situation with every little bump in the road translating into a spleen-rattling affair. From the outside, the Caliber looks like a spacious family car, but the inside is fully taken up with the dashboard, which is roughly the size of an eight-seat dining room table. The front seats have a fair amount of leg room underneath the dashboard, but any backseat passengers dont fare as well. And good luck fitting more than one kids car seat back there. You would think they could have taken a couple of feet out of the dash to provide more room for the back seats. I can only assume the engineer responsible for the Calibers design envisioned serving a large meal on the dashboard. There can be no other reason for that design. I have only two good things to say about this car. First, we have had to do no major repairs on it since we got it. But I think thats about to change. I believe the suspension and transmission will be requiring repairs before long. Second, the storage space is pretty decent, especially when you lay down the back seats. Overall, I wouldnt wish this car on anyone. Its two small perks do not compensate for a host of design failures and automotive mishaps. This car is actually really funny when you give it much thought. Its like the engineers planned it as a practical joke.

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  Never Again!!! - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By luis - July 28 - 7:44 pm

  I saved up for more than 3 years to buy a car. I bought this one at a auction for about 3k4 and it was the worst choice so far. The car turned off of on me the next day. I changed the alternator thinking that was the problem. Not! I got stranded a couple more times. Then I changed the tps sensor for 60 bucks. It was working fine up untill the next 2 days. Problems usually start when the car is warmed up. The engine wants to turn off, the revs drop, the car wont get the gas, and it might be a 4 cylinder but with this problem going on it is wasting gas like a 6 maybe even an 8 cylinder. Till this point idk what is the problem with the car. This car is just going to be a headache, just get a honda.

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  Lemon of the Year Dodge Caravan SXT 2006 - 2006 Dodge Caravan
  By Bart Tur - July 28 - 3:18 pm

  Major problems with the braking system. Axel failed at 14k. Rack & Pinion failed 23k. 5 Alternators replaced last 9 years. Major engine problems, water pump 38k, head light cheaply made. Poor Fuel. Transmission failed 59k, Radiator replaced 61k. Great for taking kids to the park but after extended warranty expires you need a bank. Thank you Chrysler. These van have braking issue due to bad clapier pin not retracking. One final note, The heater cores are known to fail around 100k. My van is currently 95,. Never will I buy a DODGE /CHRYSLER. I am done. Close up shop guys.

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  Avoid Chargers - 2010 Dodge Charger
  By Ms. Demeanor - July 12 - 2:17 am

  Car was parked for three days without driving. Wife went to get something out of the car and in less than an hour later, the car was totaled due to a fire that started in the passenger headlight (from unlocking the thing). Dodge denies there is any manufacturer defect so I guess gremlins must have caused the thing to destroy itself. Funny thing is less than three weeks later here in our town, a lady was driving a 12 Charger and had to pull over when it caught fire and was totaled - started in the passenger headlight. Dodge denies responsibility yet these vehicles have a tendency to catch fire. Couple that with the fact police departments are jumping on the chance to move to other vehicles due to problems with these cars. Again, avoid buying Chargers.