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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  amazing. - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By chrisbates - July 29 - 1:18 am

  So I guess Im the only person who had no problems with this car. I bought it used at the end of 2009 with 30k miles (it was a company car for its previous owners) the only thing that was wrong was the plastic that covers the spedometer had a crack, that didnt effect visibility. It was just a crack. I drove this car daily and love it I had the SE so only a 4 cylinder. But it was enough to have a quick start and handled great for me. I made plenty of 1000 mile trips and was great. I skidded on ice and smashed into the side wall twice at 80mph and walked away without a problem. This car is amazing and it saved my life. The trunk never leaked and I had no problems at all. I loved this car.

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  Stay Far Away - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By garfish1 - July 25 - 2:13 am

  I just traded my Dart in so I figured I would write a review. I had a rally with the 2.0 automatic and only had 6,000 miles on it. I did purchase it new when they first came out. On a good note I will say the interior was very nice and held up well. The touch screen is huge and very good view for the backup camera. The exterior is another story and found it to be very cheap. The underbody plastic was starting to fall apart already on me and had to be removed. I also found that the paint seemed to be very poor quality, I wonder if it is a water base because it scratches and chips very easily.

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  Extended Warranty 3.6L 2011-2013 Journey to 10yr 150,000 miles on left cylinder head - 2012 Dodge Journey
  By vadogwood - July 23 - 1:25 pm

  Last week my check engine light came on. We coded it to find it was due to a misfire. The following day we received this letter with this information. The problem is not only the Journey but also Grand Cherokee, Durango, Minivan, 200, Avenger, Journey, 300, Charger, Challenger and/or Wrangler from 2011-2013. This is the letter in summary: 3.6L ENGINE LEFT CYLINDER HEAD EXTENDED WARRANTY This letter is to inform you that the warranty period (5 years or 100,000 miles) on the 3.6 engine left Cylinder head on select vehicles has been extended to 10 years or 150,000 miles. Contact Chrysler Customer Assistance Center: PO Box 21-8004: Auburn Hills, MI 48321-8004. or call 1-800-423-6343.

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  2013 Dart Ralley 1.4 turbo 6 speed man - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By maggiewalt - July 15 - 9:53 am

  Bought this car for my wife to drive to work (40 miles one way) Love the looks. But the car has been in the shop to much for a car that is just over a year old and 23000 miles on it. Trunk liner clips broke, was told they had to order whole liner. took it home that day and took grocery out of trunk. Whey we closed it, they broke again. Heard it hit the trunk floor. Had the clutch cyld replaced as it would stay on the floor "TSB for this one" Now 3 months later and it back in the shop for the same thing. (Parts on national back order) had to beg for a loaner even though its still under warranty and I purchased the life time warranty. Engine was skipping was told needed oil change.

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  Do Not Buy Intrepid 2.7 or Any Other Chrysler Product - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By derek_a - July 11 - 12:27 pm

  I wouldnt recommend buying any used Chrysler product with no warranty. My 2004 Intrepid 2.7 lived in the shop. The car couldnt go 6 months without needing a repair, but this cars biggest problem is its cooling system when the engine is properly maintained with 3000 mile full synthetic oil changes as I did. Ive been thru 2 water outlets! a radiator, a coolant reservoir, 2 thermostats, and 2 thermostat housings. Then the cars water pump, which is at the center of the engine, goes bad causing the car to overheat and blow part of the head gasket. On top of that, the car is now tapping. Tapping, waterpump, and gasket fix will cost the same as getting a new engine. Im getting a new car!

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  Steering column is broke and is on national back order - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By mileymoo - July 11 - 9:59 am

  I bought my Durango in February of 2014. Like the previous reviewer mentioned, it was my dream machine too. I really enjoyed driving it. My only criticism was that the inside storage capacity is compromised by having a DVD player in the compartment between the two front seats. However, soon after, I noticed that during hard acceleration, my RPMs were going up without the car actually accelerating. Took it to the dealer, and was told that the steering column is defected, and that can affect the transmission, as well as abs breaks, which could make the car dangerous to drive. It has been 5 business days since they ordered a part, and the part is still on backorder

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  My favorite car I have ever owned. - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By kshizzle - July 9 - 4:38 pm

  This is the 6th car I have owned and I can honestly say that I am finally driving the exact car that I wanted to be driving. Before I bought my Avenger I had always settled for what was available (hand me down cars) as well as what was cheap and reliable. I drove a Corolla for 12 years and that made the decision to settle for nothing less then a 6 cylinder engine that much easier. I drove most the cars in this class (G6, Malibu, Camry etc...) as rental cars but when I rented the Avenger I was sold. Most people on the road do not understand that it has a 3.6 liter 283 hp engine inside. Easily enough to beat all of the cars in its class. Fun car for sure.

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  junk - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By frddfrd - July 9 - 2:29 pm

  bought it used with 33,000 miles on it. ive put six thousand miles on it, thats it. throttle position control gone bad, already. forty thousand miles!!!

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  I love it, but . . . - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By iamkristen - July 8 - 3:55 pm

  I really do love this car. The engine is fantastic. Awesome performance! Its exterior is eye-catching and sleek. The car is a combination of sporty and practical. Now what I dont like . . . The people who work in the service department of the dealership where I bought the car know me. The car has been in there THAT often. Various censors or detectors that trigger the engine light, the ABS/traction/cruise control system, a misfiring cylinder, visor clip broke off, the entire control panel (lock/window switch) in the passenger side door came out, the vents were flopping closed . . . and I have about 50k miles now. Everything but the ABS issue was when the car was under 36k miles.

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  Should have done more research before buying - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By grandma51 - July 8 - 9:59 am

  Purchased my car on June 7th, on June 30th with only 1400 miles driven the car began to misfire in the #2 cylinder and check engine light was on. Took car back to the dealer, it took a week for Chrysler to tell them to change a spark plug. Changed the spark plug and the car was still misfiring. Now they are waiting for a new fuel injector. They really have no idea what is wrong with the car. When the car works properly it does get good gas mileage. Love the collision avoidance system, the easy to read touch screen, and clear back-up camera. But I am afraid after reading all the problems other owners have had this car will only be a problem.