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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  Useful and Reliable - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By mrish - March 21 - 8:28 pm

  I bought my 00 Dakota SLT 4.7 v8 4x4 brand new in 2000. It currently has 195k miles on it and runs great. Doesnt burn oil, doesnt smoke, and doesnt even have an oil leak. The only problems I ve had is 2x freeze plugs, 2x speed sensors, and one oxygen sensor. Ive pulled a Kubota 4wd tractor, a Massey Ferguson, and pulled a fullsize truck on a trailer 300 miles. The 4WD has worked great and the limited slip rear diff. has got me out places that other 4x4s couldnt. Ive taken care of it mechanically and used semi-synthetic oil every 5k miles. I would buy this truck all over again with question.

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  2009 Dodge journey - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By jimiheadtone1 - March 21 - 8:01 pm

  I have a 2009 journey with the v6 2wd It would help if others indicate the drive trains on their cars. Front brakes were a problem after 29000 miles. They were making a grinding noise... and the brake peddle was pulsing and wheels were wobbling. brought it to the dealer they told me all was ok. After I left it Was still making the noise - I checked the brakes myself and discovered the pads were cracked. i brought it back. They fixed the car. Demand the dealer inspect the brake pads (if they say they see no problem) Door Wire harnes is a serious problem they have issued a recall for this. Lastly has anyone have a calipar pin fall out from the rear brakes? mine did

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  My First Car... - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By jayjayfrmny - March 21 - 1:03 am

  I bought it 2 months ago used with about 85000 miles on it but it pushed as if it had none. When I first saw it, I fell in love with the body style. I felt like it was calling me and when I took it for a test drive, I was completely sold. I only encountered one problem during my ownership and that was the distributor cap (its used, so I expected a few problems) but thats it. I take incredible care of it and it runs even stronger than it did when I bought it considering Ive already put about 2000 miles on it. This car has a lot of potential style and power wise.

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  Great Ride - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By moparmoma - March 17 - 11:30 pm

  We Bought the Caravan without the stow and go seats for the comfort of the second row captian chairs. Took family to motortrend car show and made them sit in seats for half an hour. Teenagers appreciated the comfort of captain chairs and the entertainment (DVD) system. This is a life saver on long road trips. Have 100,000 on the van with ALOT of road trips. No problems whatsoever. Replaced Battery once, brakes every 40,000 miles, and the ERG once at 85,000. OEM tires lasted 65,000 miles, replaced with Michelins. Good value and no problems--would buy buy again if they didnt switch to stow and go seats.

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  dont get rear ended in this car!!!!!!!! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By sfoglio - March 11 - 8:29 am

  my father was in an accident in this car. he was on the highway in kentucky and some lady on her cell phone smacked into the dead center of the back end at 70 mph. needless to say the car was totaled, however this car burst into flames immediately! reason... not the speed or force... but the fact that dodge decided to put a battery right on top of the fuel tank!!seriously?? the highway patrol said the only reason he is still alive is because he had a FULL tank of gas. sound strange? yes. but the fact is there was no oxygen in the tank to ignite an instant explosion. if there had been 1/2 or even 3/4 a tank he would have been killed instantly... hey dodge,,, think its time for a recall?????

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  Incredibly Surprising - 2010 Dodge Caliber
  By bsavoie93 - March 10 - 11:33 pm

  My parents got this as their loaner car while they were having their PT Cruiser worked on. They werent going to drive it so I did. I was incredibly surprised with this car. It rides very smooth even on the freeway. It picks up speed quick, but when you floor it nothing happens. I took to 110 MPH no problem and it didnt feel like it was gonna fall apart. It handles and drives well. When you go around a corner quickly there is barely any body roll. I thought something was wrong with the transmission but then I realized it had a CVT. The base stereo sounds amazing and the standard features are unbelievable. The interior needs some work. There is cheap battleship grey plastic everywhere!

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  After 5 years 85000 miles of ownership - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By mrcrow2u - March 5 - 10:16 am

  Overall very good SUV. Ride is smooth but can get bouncy on rough roads. No major mechanical issues, sporadic stalling has happened a few times per year, EGR had to be replaced under warranty. Check engine light will come on if gas cap is not on properly. Average 17.6 mpg in mixed driving. Incredible in bad weather, made many long trips in bad weather to hockey games. 3rd row seating not very comfortable to anyone over 12. Lose all rear storage space with 3rd row in use. Rear and middle rows can be folded down which is nice. Sound system is very good. No build quality issues to report. Overall very happy with the Durango and would consider buying another one in the future.

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  warranty with U.S fidells? sorry but love our durango - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By leadfoot54 - March 2 - 6:55 pm

  We love our durango poor gas miles replaced all the door locks and now the transmission has whent out we had U.S fidells and what a joke they are payed them for over year and got the run around with the transmission we ended up pay for the rebuilt transmission

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  The Best Car I ever have (CRD version 4x4 SXT euro) - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By geetee2 - February 28 - 4:28 am

  I do not know why US people hate this vehicle so much. I have it for 2 years now - the UK/Euro version with 2.8crd VM diesel and it is just great! It is the sort of vehicle I was looking for years - 4WD, station, spacefull, strong but economic engine and looks great. I do bit of DH so I use to take loads of stuff with me when heading to the Alps. All my previous vehicles - scrappy jap MPVs were struggling with the load, sitting low, going slow(especially uphill) and the fuell consumption extremely high. Never have any mech problems, not even with the interior. yes, the quality of plastic is not great but this is workhorse not range rover, ok? problem with roofrails sorted by recall free

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  70k here. No significant problems - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By jeff_98563 - February 21 - 11:31 am

  My car is a 2007 SXT with the CVT transmission. I dislike the blind spots, but otherwise, its a great 30mpg car.