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:
Showing 321 through 330 of 11,324.00-
Possible Lemon - 2010 Dodge Journey
By hfr - January 4 - 11:55 pmI bought 2009 Journey in August 2009. Within months, the sun roof leaked and it took several times to fix it. At about 20K the brakes had to be replaced. Dealership replaced at no cost (thankfully). At about 40K the tires had to be replaced (19" tires are very expensive). Driver side passenger door filled up with water because tape was left on the drain holes. Had to have PTU gasket replaced recently. Cruise control looses 5 to 7 mph going up hill before it increases speed. Dealership says this is normal. Transmission has a delay in accelleration. Dealership cant find anything wrong. Currently have 49,000 miles on car. Really like the way it drives and handles but not happy repairs.
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Love at first, but then.... - 2008 Dodge Caliber
By kytrailhikers - December 28 - 8:38 pmGot this car for ease of getting child in & out of car seat. Worked great for that & love the comfort and look of. Once 40,000 miles hit, the problems began. Started hearing loud clanking noise when driving on highway. I read numerous complaints about the Caliber having suspension problems. I panicked & took it right in. I didnt want to worry about my child riding in this car. Today they tell me they cannot find what is causing it... said the suspension is tight BUT suspect it is the bushings. They didnt want to take a part yet so has to get worse. AND my oxygen sensor quit so paid to get that fixed. I was not expecting all this so soon. Now I will continue to worry.
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worth the price... of my base Journey - 2010 Dodge Journey
By carmudgin - December 23 - 2:49 amIve had the Journey 6 months and have put 23,000km on it. It has had no issues, everything has worked perfectly so far. Im glad we got the 4cyl with gas prices nowadays. My other car is a Chevy Tahoe and the Journey is way better on gas, way smoother ride. It handles bumps extremely well, and when i need to weave in and out of traffic while doing 130km/hr it handles great. I feel confident driving it. The car feels like a more expensive vehicle and Im sure thats because it was designed by Mercedes while they owned Chrysler.
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Computer problem? - 2009 Dodge Avenger
By vegilover - December 21 - 12:47 pmThis is my second ND winter wtih this vehicle. It gets around all right, however on the first below zero day the computer gets confused and the entire car dies. this has happened both winters. The dealer claims it just needed a computer update but thats not adding up for me. Has anyone else had this problem? My warranty is almost up and Im very concerned it will happen again next winter. Its fine once they reset the computer. Very odd!!!!!
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Not to bad.... - 2007 Dodge Charger
By romash - December 15 - 9:46 amNot to bad of a car at all. Read all the reviews and everyone was bang on....The only problem I have had is with my rims...Living in Toronto I have to deal with snow and salt. I have the 18 inch chrome 5 upgrades and they are simply terrible. They have peeld twice and they look horrible, really noticeable and Chryler even afetr seeing them wont do a darn thing about them. They claim its because of our Canadian weather, problem is this car was made in Brampton CANADA, how do they not know these things...
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2007 Dodge Nitro ALASKA - 2007 Dodge Nitro
By Anonymous - December 7 - 2:00 amI havent had any problems until just last week when I couldnÂ’t start my car! Living in Alaska people are going to assume itÂ’s the cold, its not. The WCM is broken? That is what controls the security system and starting the car all the wires ext, thought it was the Viper auto start that was installed, after disconnecting that the car still wouldnÂ’t start. IÂ’ve read many reviews on people having to replace this and was told through Chrysler that usually you only have to replace it once This is a great car when itÂ’s actually drivable, This is a great vehicle for families with kids.
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Great 97 Dakota - 1997 Dodge Dakota
By Jeff - December 4 - 2:00 am318 5.2 auto 192,000 miles. Purchased it last summer from a 1 owner, always garaged and well taken care of. Usual rust areas esp in northeast to be expected....bottom of the pass side door, and had the rear spring shackles replaced. Hasnt failed me yet...a/c doesnt work the best, to be expected on a 13 y/o vehicle. Not the best on gas, 13.3 - 18.5 on aggressive tread 31s....wish I had a 5spd for better gas milage. Other than the a/c, everything else works great. Needed to replace the steering shaft. My second Dakota...feel they are built well and Id buy another.
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Great value for money! - 2008 Dodge Caliber
By KristinBC - December 2 - 2:00 amI just purchased my (used)Caliber two days ago, so I cannot comment yet on reliability. I have the 2.0L CVT, and I am very pleased with the gas mileage and performance so far. I did not buy this car expecting great amounts of power - I bought it for the fuel efficiency, space, value for money, and looks (in that order). I drove the Mazda 3, Chevy HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser (which I have owned before) and the Toyota Matrix when comparing. Although I had it narrowed down to the Caliber and the HHR (based on the issues listed above), I chose the Caliber over the HHR because of the final variable of value for money - the Caliber was 2K cheaper, and offered most of the same features as the HHR.
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lemon--should have been yellow - 2008 Dodge Charger
By grandmas race car - December 2 - 2:00 amIn cold weather relay shorts the car still starts but no heat, no radio & gear shifter wont move. Passenger side front power window occasionally quits working. Have replaced tie rod ends, (floor pedal assembly& throttle controls twice) & now it needs a new heater core. Itt definitely fun but a financial drain. It may have a lifetrain powertrain warranty but not worth the hassles. This is not a keeper
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Transmissiion and brakes nightmare - 2009 Dodge Journey
By Rog47 - December 1 - 2:00 amBought this vehicle for family use, 3rd seat, and traveling the USA. At 23,000 miles of Mostly Freeway use, the front brake pads had to be replaced and rotors turned. At 25000 miles the 6 speed automatic transmission failed and had to be overhauled. The car is not fancy by luxury standards but has adequate features. Front end alignment has been done twice. Once on a recall and 7 months later as front tires were wearing on the outside? Cant say this is the best Chrysler product I have ever owned.
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