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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  LOTS of Problems - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By AEJ070897 - October 11 - 10:00 am

  New trans at 50,139--broke without any warning (just over the warranty)but Chrysler did split half the cost. Now we have problem with the AC compressor, wiper going on for no reason at all, engine light comes on for no reason. Not very reliablemechanically but nice vehicle to look at. I would only purchase if you plan on keeping it less than 3 yrs. or if you like to look at in your drive.

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  Disappointed Grand Caravan Owner - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Dennis - October 10 - 9:40 am

  Our first Grand Caravan is a 1999 with 174k miles. Regular maintenance and a few minor issues through the years. But the 2006 model has been a major disappointment. The space and ride are good but we have been told the rack and pinion are shot as well as the power steering pump at 65000 miles. The water pump replaced at 40k and the passenger side sliding door lock broke at 20k. The leather seats are now starting to wear through. Cant wait to get rid of it.

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  Worst Car I Have Ever Owned - 1997 Dodge Avenger
  By Devonne - October 3 - 11:18 pm

  I have not had the best of luck with this car. I have had it for a year and a half and I have had to replace the ball joint, both axles (twice), speed censor, crank shaft, breaks, fan belt, battery (twice), lower left control arm, shocks, struts, starting coil, fuel pump, the over drive went out, and so did the cruse control. I drove it for 9 months without problems but once the speed sensor went out it has been down hill from there. My mpg have been really bad, I only got 15 mpg even after a new fuel filter, air filter, and pump.

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  Bad Experience - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By Ali - September 25 - 5:33 am

  I bought Nitro on its look and power, didnt know about the poor drivers side view mirror visibility. It could have killed me the other day. and secondly its 4WD doesnt work, i got stuck for about 3 hours on a small piece of sand people laughed a lot. Ali

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  2008 sxt dodge caliber 2.0 L 4door - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By William - September 22 - 6:14 pm

  This is an update to my experience as posted on 08/21/08 by William. Shortly after getting this car I began to notice a clanking (metal slapping metal) noise, it was believed that an lower control arm was the concern, then the passenger front strut, it was replaced but still is making this clanking noise. So thirty gallons of fuel 750 miles just to the dealerships within thirty days and the problem has Not been fixed with around 2,250 miles on the car. The dealership manager tells me they have to follow a repair process for my/your protection? Today they sprayed some brake cleaner type chemical on the brakes and area. Guess what? It still didnt fix it. I think my dodge buying is over.

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  2007 NITRO R/T 4.0 ONLY - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By karen nitro R/T - September 22 - 10:48 am

  I have a 2007 nitro r/t nitro. I put this info once before. I have an answer now. Im having a problem with chattering in front end. Its the serpentine belt. Chrysler cant fix this problem. I had it in the shop twice. The service told me that Chrysler dont touch it. A service rep. came out. He called the eng. They sent out some parts to put on it but, the problem isnt fixed. Its better but, sometimes its still just as loud. I took it over to the dealership. I was getting all of my receipts to send to my atty. The ser. Mgr. Heard it doing it again. Took it in for service and hes gone. I called my atty. They said I have a case for the lemon law. I was told niitro r/t wasnt designed for that size eng?

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  AC problems - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By 09chgrrt - September 20 - 1:13 pm

  I purchased the vehicle used with 9000 miles. As soon as the warranty ran out we had a power steering fluid leak. An after warranty recall was done on the rear evaporator of the AC system and that unit was replaced. The dealer returned the vehicle last spring stating the system to be working. Summer came and the unit would not blow cold air. Now the front receiver dryer needs replacement to the tune of $489.54. If the rear evaporator was flawed then it is safe to say Dodge equipped this vehicle with an inferior quality AC system.

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  Buying Mistake - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Jess - September 18 - 2:57 pm

  From the outside its not all that bad at first. It reminds me a little of the bat mobile. The gas mileage sucks! There are horrible blind spots! You cant really see out of the back window that well. Looking at it from the outside you would think that you got all the room in the world while being in the car but you dont! Oh and did i mention I have to get gas multiple occasions due the MPG!

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  Probably wouldnt buy another - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By J K - September 17 - 6:45 pm

  The good things: Roomy, handles well for size, no absolutely major break downs. Perfect alignment despite crashing it. Pretty tough in crashes. Bad things: Had to replace steering rack at 66,000 miles. Has always had a very slow oil leak. Head lights dim due to excessive oxidation. Moisture in headlight housing. Does not maneuver well when parallel parking. LOTS of blind spots. Fishtails easily at speeds over 65 mph. Transmission shifts roughly sometimes. Breaks wear quickly. Has 3.3 L engine but wont due over 50 mph uphill on the freeway. Some Intrepids of various years have had major mechanic failure of the steering system. I feel the car has too much wear for the amount I drive it.

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  lots of repairs - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By gregdetroy - September 16 - 8:50 pm

  Easy to drive. 3.3L engine is barely enough. Wish I had gotten a bigger engine. Back seat can squeeze 3 slim adults. Middle row seats are marginally comfortable. Noisy and rough-riding in the back of the car. Got mine used at 45k miles, now have 61k. Not surprised I needed new brakes, but I also needed new rear shocks and had to have AC recharged at 59k ($180) and got stranded out of town at 60k for 2 days when the CV gasket (i think that was the name) failed and spilled the transmission fluid out on a friends driveway.