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:
Showing 481 through 490 of 11,324.00-
Been in the shop 4 times. - 2003 Dodge Neon
By AMP - November 21 - 10:00 amI bought this car to drive back and forth from college and home which is a 400 mile trip. This car was fine for the first eight months of ownership. It has real hesitation starting sometimes, chugs and has been in the shop 4 times because the engine light comes on. I feel this car has faulty craftsmanship and low quality parts.
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DO NOT BUY!!!!! - 2007 Dodge Nitro
By Steph - November 10 - 1:53 pmIve had problems with my car since I picked it up from the dealership. Its been in the shop 17 times now! Had the transmission replaced twice, the electrical system replaced 3 times and so many systems updates my head spins. I no longer feel safe in the vehicle. It has shut off on me numerous times, with once going up a bridge. I almost killed the person behind me and another time while I was out of town, and Dodge made me pay to have it towed back to my town! Lights constantly coming on and off, the doors rattle when the radio is on, the transmission jumps and the whole car rides rough. DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE! Dodge has done nothing to help me. By time I could LemonLaw, it was too late
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Ugh! - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
By bubbaroo - November 8 - 10:56 amWe bought this vechile just under two years ago. The tranny has never felt right, but they insist it is normal. Is it normal to roll back on a hill, I dont think so! As of today, I have had to replace brakes, bearings and steering column. That is the one that really gets me. Its an obvious factory defect, the seal went, and because Im 5000 over warranty mileage on a 2 year old car, Chrysler/Dodge will not even help out with the repair a little. As much as I love the stow and go and the ride, I will not buy another Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep product. They do not stand by their product nor do they help their customers. Spend your money somewhere else, I know we will!
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I wouldnt buy another - 2005 Dodge Caravan
By Russell - November 6 - 7:41 pmThe 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT seemed to be a nicer car then our 97 Rally and we really liked the stow-n- go seats. However, thats where it ends. We have to put front brakes on it every 12,000 mi. we got 29,000 mi. on the 97 and I got 72,000 miles out of the front brakes on my 2001 Suburban. Electrical sensors are still a major problem, we have had several failures. The transmission control card went, the side electric doors have been repaired several times and still dont work well. We cant get the brake dust off the front aluminum wheels so they always look like crap. It needed a tune up after only 34,000 mi.. In short, this car is high maintenance! I wouldnt buy another!
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Unacceptable Powertrain!!!! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
By Unsatified Owner - November 5 - 9:24 pmAfter 3 rebuilds and a new transmission replacement I brought it back to the dealership last week to confirm that my NEW transmission still shakes. They not only confirmed it, but told me Chrysler has to engineer a fix for my transmission. The service manager told me he will call me in thirty days for an update. WHAT THE! SO, IM SUPPOSED TO KEEP DRIVING THIS THING! After a year of ownership and 16,000 miles Ive had a series of MAJOR mechanical problems with the engine, suspension, and now the transmission. You think this car is a LEMON?!! Chrysler doesnÂ’t even know what is wrong with my transmission! My average fuel economy is around 10 mpg! Thats right 10! This sucks!
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Great exterior, cheap interior - 2016 Dodge Charger
By Mike - November 4 - 4:57 pmCan Dodge make an interior other than cheap black plastic? Loved the exterior, very mean looking and sporty. 5,7 Hemi gave lots of power. An 8 speed auto it a little to much, kept hunting for gears, a 6 speed would do better. Love the tech and touch screen but no volume or radio controls on the steering wheel? Odd. The front seats were terrible. They were uncomfortably hard, lumbar support stuck out to far even all the way deflated, and the head rest was way to far back. Never could get comfortable in it. If Dodge would step up their interiors they would have a great car.
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Entry Level is Entry Level - 2004 Dodge Neon
By kksulli - November 4 - 10:00 amPurchased this vehicle in an emergency. Nothing drew me to this car, other than the fact that it was in my price range and that I could receive an employee discount on it. The SXT package provides a value for the features you get. Engine power is adequate, however, the automatic transmission severely hampers performance - it is not a good gearbox. Build quality seems in line, however Noise/vibration/harshness level is high in comparison to others in its segment. Have not had any mechanical/electrical or trim problems. Have experienced worse fuel economy than expected. Averaging 24 mpg combined city/hwy and small fuel tank restricts range (around 300 miles).
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Avoid at all costs! - 2002 Dodge Caravan
By SOCCER MOM - November 3 - 6:09 pmBought new from dealer. Little things break too easy, outside sounds like its inside, radio never worked right, air conditioning died in 2nd year, had to replace transmission (in 3rd year),fuel gage (4th year - broke down w/babies in the rain), front window seal (5th year) and rear side window seal (1st year). Will never buy a Dodge again!
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Worst 4 cyl fuel economy Ive ever owned - 2009 Dodge Journey
By Legacy Tranportation - November 2 - 8:33 pmOur Journey is used as a Pilot car behind oversize loads. We track performance constantly to ensure profitability and cost of ownership. This Journey has run 97.8% highway miles between 56 and 65 mph. The fuel economy is horrible ranging from 17.1 mpg to an all time high of 24.9 with an overall average of 19.8. We have a 2008 Dodge Ram 3500 diesel that runs with the journey, they alternate position. In front or behind the load. The Diesel 1 ton is averaging 20.8 We are very disappointed with the Journey and plan on trading it asap. We purchased it for the fuel economy and safety, it is safe. There isnt enough power to get hurt very badly.
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Dont Buy A Nitro Just Yet! - 2007 Dodge Nitro
By lottachops - October 28 - 3:23 pmDo not buy the Nitro at this time. I bought a 2007 and have had transmission problems that started about a month after I got it. Ive taken it in for flash computer upgrades, but it still has a bucking problem. I did some research and found that this is not an isolated case. It seems that corporate really doesnt know what to do. They keep sending you back to reprogram the computer to make you feel better for a while, but it doesnt fix the problem. I have owned a Chevy and a Ford before this and have never had these problems. I would say to anyone looking at the Nitro... get something else or wait until they get this transmission problem taken care of.
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