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 - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By AG - April 19 - 7:23 am

  Very poor vehicle. Brakes/rotors gone at 12k (didnt use Dodge brakes to replace-now rotors warped due to axle problem), front axle repl at 17500, steering wheel moves left to right when braking hard.

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  Confused - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By fronteeer - April 10 - 8:40 am

  I took over the lease on a crew cab Dakota 4x4 to help out a friend, and I hate it so much that it sits in the driveway. My other truck is an 05 Frontier SE crew cab, and there is no comparison between the Nissan and the Dodge. If the Dakota was $10,000 less expensive (instead of just cheaper) Id give it some cred for offering a decent work truck to someone with a more modest income. If it sounded good and was fun to drive, Id give it credit for power and handling, even lacking refinement as it does. But for the price, and knowing what Nissan and Toyota are offering, theres no way Id buy this junk heap.Worst money Ive ever spent on anything. Editors Most Wanted?

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  146,000 km still going with a lot of $$$$ - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By steve - April 9 - 7:16 pm

  Had my journey for two years now and have had most of the problems on this review and more. No trouble with motor or tranny luckily. Here are major troubles I have had brakes, power steering, wheel speed sensors, wheel bearings, tie rods, ball joints, rear differential seals twice, transaxle seals, replaced rear cv axles 4 times due to faulty design, rubber door seals falling off, needed to replace tires after 35,000 km/6 months and was unable to get 19" tires from any tire dealer or Dodge, had to buy new tires and rims. Replaced all struts. Rear heater motor. I drive 75,000 km mostly highway, some gravel. Nice car to drive and handles well but costs way to much to keep running not a good buy

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  Oil Pressure Problems - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By geroge - April 8 - 2:05 am

  Ive had a Dakota for a few years now and what seemed to be a good vehicle has turned into a dog. Even with regular oil changes it seems this truck will drop its oil pressure for no reason. A quick search on the web tells me I am not the only one this has happened to. The 3.9L engine is a sludge factory. Now, we all dont have the ability or oppurtunity to pull over when something like an unexpected drop (to 0) in oil pressure occures, so just imagine the amount of engine damage that can occur. Isnt it a lovely sound to hear my engine knock. Not only would I avoid Dodge but any Diamler/Chrysler product.

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  A definite dont buy vehicle! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Duanek - March 14 - 4:53 am

  Bought it in October of 2008. I had a loud noise anytime I hit a bump in the rear of the car. Went to dealership 3 times and they could not find it. I said it was in the design of the suspension. They took me out in a brand new 2008 and it did the same thing and they made no attempt to fix it or contact Dodge. I recently traded it for a 2006 Escape. It lost neary 4000 dollars in worth. CVT transmission does not belong in a low budget vehicle. If I was buying a car I would go with the Chevy Mailbu for the same price with better quality. Dodge does not back their products. Poor quality and slapped together!

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  Had to trash it - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By phantom - March 13 - 11:07 am

  I absolutely loved this car when I first bought it. Looked great and drove great. After 2 yrs the problems began. The obvious head gasket plus seals had to be replaced. Every sensor on the car pretty much malfunctioned at some point. Every year and yes I mean every year I had to get it serviced due to misfires. One electrical problem after another. Stereo went out. Door looks worked when they wanted to. Drivers side window was loose and leaked. Oddly enough in the 6 years that I owned that car I never replaced the exaust. Not even the muffler. This is a terrible vehicle and I will never buy a Dodge/Chrysler product again. Terrible!

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  Incentives to buy for a reason - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By Frank Klassen - March 11 - 5:24 pm

  Need something to pull the neighbor out of the ditch with look no futher. But dont try to pass a filling station because you may not make the next. Fuel economy is worst than my 1991 V8 Dakota with 220,000 miles on it. Try to turn up the volume with gloves on and you shut it off over 80% of the time and remember to watch out for the shifter lever which is in the way to get to the stereo. Window controls are not usable except without gloves and dont try to unbuckle with gloves it dont work. Plow through snow to get to the highway and the alternator belt slips. The armrest is so hard and it shows dirt instantly. Incentives to buy for a reason. Buy the Toyota

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  Dodge Dakota Quad Cab - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Sean - March 8 - 9:28 pm

  Purchased 2005 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab last year 1/2005. I have had both shocks replaced, it has been realigned 5 times, I have had it stall numerous times at a stop lights, problems with the transmission (torque converter, valve body and front pump just replaced 38000 miles) and the EGR valve. It has a horrible ride to it and it is getting worse. I am very dissappointed with this vehicle and will never ever by another Dodge or American made vehicle.

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  journey not reached - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By long journey - March 2 - 8:26 am

  I purchased a journey r/t 1/09 and before it had 2500 miles i had to add motor oil, and had gear oil leaking on the exhaust, the sunglass holder fell apart, the remote start only works sometimes, the remote entry is the same, only when it doesnt work and you finally do get into the car the radio is changing cds, it has been in the garage 5 separate times for days at times, the transmission doesnt shift down or doesnt shift up, there is a whining and clicking that is still there, the dvds play on the dash along with the navigation screen at times,or doesnt work at all, we looked around at many other crossover type cars, and picked the wrong one, for this journey... take the bus...

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  Horrible Experience - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Horrific - March 1 - 10:00 am

  Ive had so many recalls, I know all the shop attendants by first name. No time for poor reliability. Brakes went before 20K miles-recalled. AC went out over summer-recalled. Shifts down hard when let foot off gas-transmission problem? Doors & radiator cap recalled. Should have bought a used car with 75K miles--would have been more reliable.