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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  Junk - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By summer40 - February 6 - 8:34 am

  Please review recalls on this vehicle prior to purchasing. I only had Durango for year and 1/2 and happily got rid of it yesterday. Within short time 2 recalls. Alternator problems still without permanent fix. This is by far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. Panel behind passenger door handle fell off. Trim around gear loose. Terrible blind spots. Against policy to offer customers rental cars when you are having recall work done. If you are considering the Durango just look up the recalls and see that there is still no resolution. Had new alternator put in and with weeks Durango is making noise and starting to vibrate.

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  DONT BUY!!!!!!!! - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By nwhite26 - January 17 - 4:19 pm

  I will save you a lot of time and money by simply saying do not buy this car! Im serious. Days after driving it off the lot, it has stalled on me, died on me, service transmission light comes on constatly, check engine light comes on, and Ive taken it back to the dealership continuous times for repair adn the issue keeps occuring. The dealership refuses to trade me into another car and now has said I have depreciated the value due to keeping it for too long. The two previous owners both had the same issues to, I checked the records. I was tricked into buying this car or else I wouldnt have! For a 2 yr old car this should not happen! Save yourselves, run!!!

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  Disaster with Chrysler - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By rbirwin - January 7 - 6:45 pm

  Bought my 2013 Dodge Dart in Dec of 2012. Since then it has been nothing but trouble. Turbocharger was defective and replaced at 16K miles. Battery went dead at 26K and was replaced. Interior plastic began to break. At 34K miles engine blew and the real problems began. Chrysler Dodge would not honor the Warranty. We are still fighting with them. Unfortunately we now think the car could be unsafe to drive. Given Chryslers poor Warranty service I would never buy Chrysler/Dodge again.

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  Stay away from dodge - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By celticstallion - December 21 - 12:26 am

  My dodge has 113k miles and is ready for the grave. Despite me treating this truck gently it still wants to quit. Since I had it I have replaced the throttle body sensor, crankshaft sensor all relays, distributor with cap rotor, spark plugs and wires, ignition coil and fuel pump. So after replacing all this it still dies at unexpected times and once you fix one thing and think you have a handle on it something else will quit.It drives like crap its slow and the transmission is a 4 speed cheap piece of garbage. In my opinion the 6 cyl engine is useless because its so weak it struggles to move the truck. I cant imagine what a 4 banger would be like. Its just a poor design from top to bottom.

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  Will NEVER buy Dodge again - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By mrreviewer - December 2 - 9:05 am

  2009... Dodge has hat in hand looking for help to stay a float.. The Government bails them out.. Being a proud Canadian who loves to support our workers.. I decided to go with the Dodge Journey R/T. Well, with a piece of garbage like that no wonder they needed a bail out. I also hadnt realized this vehicle was assembled in Mexico.. Who knows, someone may have poured tequila in the engine or something as this was a 5 year nightmare. 2 rebuilt engines, new drive train, Hubs, bearings, 4 sets of brakes, problem after problem.. Chrysler would have been in the $40-$50k range in warranty work... Myself, I figure my bills hit the $20k range over 5 years!!!

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  DO NOT BUY!!! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By ccknezevich - October 21 - 9:45 pm

  So I read the reviews before I bought my 2009 Dodge Journey in May of 2012. I have had this car now for 2 1/2 years and it seems there is always an issue. Multiple batteries, changing the brakes nearly every 10,000 miles, tires are awful, I have had to replace some type of wheel sensor, the key fob doesnt always works so sometimes my car wont crank right away. Electrical problems where the alarm goes off and takes a while to make it stop. This car has been a nightmare.. not to mention, the value. I still owe 15k and its not even worth 9k. It loses so much value every year.. and for good reason. If you buy this vehicle after reading this review.. dont say you werent warned!

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  Bad Transmission - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By baddude1 - September 30 - 5:52 pm

  I bought it used with 30000 miles on it but I am on my 5th transmission. One of the transmissions was the wrong one installed. Why would I buy another Dodge?

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  worst car I ever owned - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By byejourney10 - September 27 - 6:42 am

  Bought the 2010 journey rt. Awd fully loaded. It was new to me. I bought it 40000 kms. I bought $3000 warranty, but most issues werent covered. Brakes, front wheel bearings, alternator, key fob x 2, starter, cd / dvd quit working, never fixed it because i was quoted $2000 to rellace, exhaust sensor valve was carbed up replaced, battery wouldnt keep charged, bought new 1, unplugged back flashlight, turned off cooler in dash, etc...still battery issue. Took it to dealer andcorroded electrical, GPS/ hardrive had update done by dealer, GPS quit 1 hour after leaving lot. Hardrive corrupted. Recently its at dealer again, electrical issues again. Ive had enuf! Its outta here.

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  Do NOT Buy A Dart!!! - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By bamatoya - August 29 - 2:34 pm

  Omg... This car turned out to be my worst nightmare. I purchased it on July 31, 2013, brand new, and it seems like as soon as I pulled off the lot, it went downhill from there. In April, I ended up having to get the alternator and a belt replaced. It locked up while I was driving, not to mention the fact that I was just about to get on the interstate for a trip. After that, I experience a burning smell for weeks. Ended up having to have the oil pan replaced. Now, here in August, my car wont crank. It keeps dying on me and one minute, it seems like the battery, the next someone is saying its the alternator. Im waiting for the verdict from the dealer now. In the meantime, dont buy Dodge!!

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  Ashamed..... - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By dickson3 - August 22 - 7:11 pm

  I went and made an account just so I could complain, this is nothing but a money pit, ive replaced alternator, brakes, struts, cruise control, and 2 pairs of tires. ive had it about 6 years and just paid it off. Im so angry about this vehicle, every site you go on its the same complaint over and over again. this should be recalled. Had a ford and didnt have near as many problems. I should of kept it. Yeah cooler is a joker back bumper scratches and its expensive to fix. open up the back windows and it sounds like your in a helicopter. save yourself the money and get something else.