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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  Worst car I have even owned! - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Jennifer - October 5 - 10:37 am

  This is the worst vechile I have ever owned. I bought it brand new and have had to bring it to the dealer 10 times to fix non-routine maintence items. Brakes went out, check engine light is on all the time and the dealership cant fix it (brought in 5 times), AC broke twice, wind shield wiper motors broke. Only 40K miles! I wouldnt wish this SUV on my worst enemy.

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  Not A Good Choice, Or I Got A Bad One - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By WCleaver - October 3 - 2:38 pm

  Had to replace engine at 86,000 miles. This is due to an engine sludge problem Dodge doesnt want to talk about. The limited slip differential needed rebuilding at 91,000 miles. Any dealer would say these troubles are do the lack of maintanence, not true in my case. Im done with DaimlerChrysler Croporation.

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  Sad - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By KSD - September 30 - 9:43 am

  The 96 was much more enjoyable. The transmission has had trouble since day 1 in the 2003 model, and Ive had nothing but trouble dealing with the Dodge dealerships to fix it. Even though the transmission was replaced 6 months after I bought it, it has had problems the whole time of ownership. Ive had the car for 3 years. It has left me stranded on more than one occassion. Ive never been so disappointed in a car in all my life. I know one thing, my next car wont be a Dodge of any kind, ever again.

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  Save Your Money Keep Driving when you see the Dodge?Chrysler logo - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dsm35 - September 30 - 9:33 am

  Wow what can a consumer say about a vehicle that after 7 years of pmts will be close to 40k. The engine had to be rebuilt at around 22k miles started going out about 10k miles TOO MANY deficiencies to mention. Seriously folks these people DONT LIKE YOU They want YOUR MONEY. You get what you get with Dodge/Chrysler B.S. 24/7 Great commercials on T.V. Too Bad they Produce POS daily. Mistake Waste of Money

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  Junk for your money - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Crap for your money - September 24 - 7:03 pm

  I thought I went wrong when I purchased my first car a Chevy Cavalier, but after having this Dodge Calibur Id love to have that old Cavalier back...this this is junk...I had it for three weeks when the engine light came on I took it back to Dealer who insisted nothing was wrong but had it 2 wks and turned the light out only for me to have it 3 days and the light came back on...now I have bad tie rods and the suspension is bad...reading the other reviews I know to get rid of this one before the engine is next....nothing like being a single mom and getting a piece of junk like this to drive your children around in....way to go DODGE.

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  Disappointed - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By Annie - September 16 - 1:40 am

  Ive had this car for 11 months and it is currently at the dealership because I need a new engine at 20,000 miles. I am very disapointed since this is the first American car I have bought. I owned a 2003 Honda Civic prior to this, and I regret that I ever got rid of it to buy an American car. I wasnt even given a rental by the dealer. I wouldnt recommend this car to anyone. The worst part of it all, I am already upside down on my loan after 1 year. The depreciation of the value is astronomical. I just checked online and my 2003 Civic is worth more today than my 05 Stratus per Kelly Blue Book, go figure.

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  Cheap ride - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By sledhead - September 14 - 8:10 pm

  my wife loves the vehicle, but have had issue after issue since driving it off the lot. transmission rattles 35-50 MPH, it cant seem to find the right gear. almost feels like youre driving a standard shift while in the wrong gear. wheel and seats shake during acceleration. also had multiple oil leaks, pulling to the right, a brake problem, and multiple rattles. local dealers have been great and acknowledge the problems, but Chrysler has been useless. i feel like were the dodge test pilots. multiple visits and rentals are getting old. would not recommend buying this or any other Chrysler product until they learn how to treat there customers. have filed lemon law with local dealers help.

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  Good Riddance Durango - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By azjim - August 3 - 11:04 pm

  After a year and a half I have bid good bye to my 05 Durango Ltd. This vehicle had every option including Nav, DVD and chrome wheels. Had to take it back to the dealer 8x so they could finally fix an oil leak. 3x back to dealer to get the drivers seat repaired because it kept cracking near the power seat controls. One time they tried to glue a broken piece back on. The front bumper had to be reclipped because the some of the plastic clips were missing. Weather stripping had to be replaced numerous times due to falling off. All this and 12 mpg with a Hemi for a vehicle that stickered for $43K. Traded this hunk of junk in for a Honda Pilot and 24mpg.

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  Overheating - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By jsmith - June 29 - 3:17 pm

  What a pig. I like to buy cars and drive them forever. I had this Durango in the dealer for overheating problems no less than 5 times over the course of 1.5 yrs. (yes I am stubborn). New water pump, new radiator, new thermostat, new hoses... still overheats. Replaced sway bars and a few yrs later the front end squeeks again. Fast truck and fun to drive. But not reliable and terrible mileage (14-15 on the hwy doing avg 70-75). Hit a bump and youre airborne. You can do better.

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  expensive choice - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By jc2009 - June 16 - 10:43 am

  I have had squeaking in my brakes from the first week. My transmission jerks and have had it checked repeatedly. Car hops when turning. It floats and is hard to control on the freeway. It leaked so bad that the back floor compartments were full of water, the carpets molded and they had to glue all the seams. They were so cheap they left the removable carpets instead of replacing them although the Journey logo came off due to water damage. Now my front brakes are metal to metal after a week ago of being told they were safe . 600-700 to do the brakes . Dodge needs to recall these for wiring, the brakes and the leaks. I will never buy a dodge again.