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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  Getting our fourth Transmission - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Emily LaFountain - March 1 - 10:00 am

  We are on our fourth transmission. This last transmission lasted less than 25 miles. We picked it up from the dealership and left, we did not get above 50 miles an hour and half way home the engine light went on and it would no longer shift in to second gear. We are not the only ones having this problem with this model (SE). There are three other vans being repaired for the same thing on only has 38 miles on it. We have owned the vehicle for 5 months now and have only been able to drive it maybe a total of 2 months not consecutively. The dealership said they want to put one more in before giving us a refund. I come from an extended family that only buys Dodge, but not any more.

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  Never again - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Jeff - February 24 - 1:25 pm

  This car has been nothing but problems from the ball joints to the water pump not to include the door locks and burned out window motor. Dodge did not do their homework when making this model. Shame on you Dodge!

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  Worst Vehicle Ive Owned - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Terry Buckner - February 18 - 7:59 pm

  This was the worst vehicle I have ever owned. The second Dodge product and the last one! The engine died at 92,000 and a replacement one is 5-6k. The entire car isnt worth that! The 2.7 liter engine is horrible. Needless to say this one needs to be junked!

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  Roller coaster - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By Kesha - February 11 - 8:11 pm

  The Dodge Neon is the worst car I have ever had. I wanted the car because it was cheap. But the car repairs make up for the money that I was trying to save. I had to replace the head gasket. It cost me a thousand dollars to fix. The brakes are bad. They have to have a heavy duty liner on it to help it last a little longer. The car is loud when you drive it. The axle was bad. The heat doesnt work well at all. The clear coat on the paint is coming off. It just is a sad little car what can I say.

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  Dont buy - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Skidawg79 - February 7 - 7:46 pm

  Upon hitting 40,000 miles my Stratus has been breaking down approximately every 3 months. In the past 20,000 this is a list of things that have happened. A car slammed its brakes in front of me, I went to hit mine..didnt have any! My master cylinder broke and needed replaced. Then about 3 months later my compressor went and I didnt have any air conditioning while I was stuck in traffic on a 90 degree day. Also my water pump went, Ive had the valve gaskets replaced twice, upper and lower radiator hoses and the thermostat, also my clutch needed replaced due to a manafacturing defect. Only good I can say is that its good on gas. I will never buy another Chrysler product again!

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  Stay Away-MoneyPit/Death Trap - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jayblack1 - January 27 - 8:54 am

  Total junk, worst think I ever bought. Breaks last 10-15k.Power lift gate and passenger sliding door failed due to rotten plastic (64k&70k).Clock spring & tilt sensors went out causing stability and traction control system malfunction, computer activated brakes stopping van in middle of traffic (no break input from driver).Exploded coolant line @ 82k due to rotten plastic in Y junction, another one leaking on airbag wiring (101k) causing airbag MIL to come on. Broken brake spacer @101,5k cause pad to fall out and wedge between rotor and brake assembly locking up rear driver wheel. This POS has left my wife and 4kids stranded on side of road 5 times in less than 2 years! Run Away! Deathtrap!

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  Horrible Car - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By Janice - January 18 - 1:34 pm

  I am constantly having to take this car into the shop for brakes to get fixed over and over again. My Insurance told me that they had to raise my insurance because of the type of car. They said if I was ever involved in an accident the car would pretty much be totaled because it was made cheap. I also though having a smaller car would mean better gas, boy was I wrong. I am trying to get rid of it ASAP. For anyone looking, do not buy, it is terrible.

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  Avoid at allcosts - 2007 Dodge Durango
  By BadLands - January 16 - 2:38 pm

  I love the look and feel of the Durango. Unfortunately, like its predecessor models, the new Durango is laden with all sorts of electrical issues. It contains a slew of "modules". Once these start to fail, you have a lemon on your hands. And once its out of warranty, forget getting help from the dealership. They dont want to honor their own warranty and the parent company turns a deaf ear to customers, claiming they cannot control dealers.

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  Dont buy it! - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By bc - January 11 - 8:50 pm

  At 52,000 miles I had to replace the transmission and again at 87,000 miles. Had to replace the entire cooling system as well as the fuel sensor. Nothing but very expensive issues with this car! Dont buy it!

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  Never buy a dodge - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Dodge..NEVER - January 5 - 4:56 am

  Horrible....horrible ....horrible. Bought the van used in 2002. Has 3.3ltr, engine was just replaced when I bought it, had to replace it a year later at $1500.00. That was the "deal" I got. Now, engine gone again!! Contacted Dodge and they said basically...too bad too sad. Will NEVER buy from the company again.