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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  DODGE Dakota - 1996 Dodge Dakota
  By Ford lover - June 13 - 12:16 am

  Owned the truck 6 months, first dodge I ever bought. My dad talked me into buying it. I learned 2 things from this truck. 1. I will never buy a dodge and 2. when the check engine light comes on, its junk. Get rid of it. I have put more money into this truck than i did my 300.00 1988 ranger that has 300,000 Miles. I really do hate this truck.

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  Not Happy With My Nitro - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Kelly - June 11 - 4:14 pm

  I have owned my vehicle for about a year and a half. I have had it into the shop 6 times. I have had 2 recalls and several other issues. I have had the vehicle recalled for stalling (after I had already experienced the stall, which could have caused a serious accident), as well as I had a cracked roof rail, panels came loose over the seat belt on passenger side, air conditioner quit working today at 26,000 miles, the rear inside light will only come on if you hit it (Dodge says its a manufacturing problem) loose carpet, loose console covering, seat had to be removed to fix the carpet, and, the stain resistant seats do not resist anything.

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  problem with tie rods - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By db - June 11 - 5:46 am

  Purchased new. Currently has 21,000 miles on it. Have been very happy with it up to this point. However, recently began hearing scraping noise when turning. Thinking it was the brakes we took it to mechanic. Turns out it is the tie rod which needs to be replaced. Told not to drive it until repair is done because it is unsafe. This is totally unacceptable for a vehicle with so few miles on it. Expected much better quality from Dodge. Would not recommend this vehicle to anyone. I believe that having to put out major money on a repair like this for a vehicle with such low miles speaks volumes about Dodge quality.

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  Love the Car but.... - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By The Simons - June 10 - 1:11 pm

  I will say I love the speed and the people in the rear view mirror. However there are some things that I am very upset with. A new car after $12,000 miles of use should not already need new rotors. I had to fight the dealership to get this warrantied. At the same time I was having radio issues as well as passengers power window would not roll down. Then came the navagation system, then a transmission leak. All in all it took 1 yr and 3 separate car dealerships to work out the rotor issue (two times), radio/nav. system, transmission leak, power lock. I think finally all the bugs have been worked out. Just hope the car holds up for the years we have to pay for it.

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  Needed Space for Family - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Tracy - June 8 - 6:36 pm

  I bought this van for space for family. Though Im happy with the space, I was highly disappointed with several features (or lack of features). Stutters and jumps when traveling slow speeds (like in a parking lot). The climate control is horrible. No way to switch between heat and air-you just have to adjust the temp up and down one degree at a time in three different places. No way to turn on just the fan, cool temp means air conditioning. I paid over $500 for remote start but wasnt told the stinkin thing shuts off in 10 minutes--whats the point of that? Console did not close or lock--9 weeks later still not fixed. Mileage only 15- 16 mpg whether in town or on highway. Dont like anything else except the space. Will never buy a Dodge van again.

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  Great Beater & Mobile Tool Box - 1993 Dodge Caravan
  By mike - June 4 - 11:03 pm

  Bought this van for handyman business. It has been a reliable mobile tool box since the purchase. Van now has 160+K Miles. It burns oil, but still hauls plywood and lumber w/out the cost of a V8 pick up.

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  Dont buy a dodge - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By shawn - June 3 - 5:51 pm

  Had to replace both front wheel bearings at 34,000 74,000 and 100,000 miles. Thats right 3 times. Transmission and radiator at 90,000 pads and rotors 3 times and many check engine light problems

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  Good for its purpose - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By rccllap - June 2 - 8:00 pm

  Weve had this since it was new off the lot. Miles per gallon is down to 20 after eight almost nine years and over 100K miles. We added towing package and it worked fine pulling U-haul to and from Florida in the summer. Made a great family vacation vehicle, all the people plus all the stuff, on at least three major car vacations over 1000 miles long each time. Have driven all over the East Coast with no issues. With age and wear its starting to break down. With gas prices this high, will sadly be retiring the van to buy something small and efficient not trading it in though, will keep it for those long road trips and just baby it more. Decent investment of our car buying money.

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  careful of 4.7 engine - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By disappointed - May 25 - 10:47 pm

  I liked the 4.7 until I found out that by the time the check gauges light comes on, it is too late. My Dakota is sitting in the driveway with a blown motor. This all-aluminum engine is VERY prone to overheating, which will quickly ruin it. Turns out the water pump is very fragile too. Not sure whether the water pump or the head gasket went first. This is with only 76,000 miles on it. Suggest carefully looking at the 5.9 engine, even though it has a little less power and less mileage.

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  Northeast Driving - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By YanksSck - May 25 - 7:15 pm

  I inherited an 03 Dakota 2 years ago. I live in the Northeast and not having 4WD pretty much just doesnt work out. It gets stuck every time there is more than 3 inches of snow on the ground, and slides all over the place in any snow or ice (which is pretty much 3 full months a year). Piling weight in the back just doesnt seem to help. The fuel economy is terrible for a 2wd vehicle, my count is about 18 mph highway at best but i have got as little as 8 city. The Truck would be fine in a snow less region, but if you live in a cold climate look elsewhere. You can get much more traction power without sacrificing too much in MPG.