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:

• 

  Annoying vehicle - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Magno - December 6 - 12:26 am

  1200 mi in 3 mo because of problems. Steering is stiff around center and very light elsewhere causes oversteer. Vehicle rolls excessively. Trans failed at 230 miles -no oil from factory. Backlash in the drivetrain and lurches at low speed. 2300 RPM power falls off then surges. RPM takes long time to drop- grinds syncros if shifted too fast. Clutch pedal has no feel-like a wet sponge. Shift light is annoying. Underpowered. Needs automatic to hide problems. Drivers mirror has big blind spot.

• 

  Worst interior ergonomics ever! - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By joeb316 - December 4 - 2:49 pm

  Do not buy this car unless you intend to use both feet to operate the accelerator and the brake. The brake pedal is approximately 1" closer to the driver than the accelerator pedal, making for the most annoying driving experience Ive ever had. In addition, the third row seatings headrests significantly obscure views out the rear view mirror and the automatic shift selector is in the most awkward place Ive ever seen.

• 

  More Chrysler Garbage - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By GIBill - November 30 - 8:11 pm

  I owned this vehicle for less than 6 months before trading it in on an Accord. The only reason I bought it was the cheap price. But like the last Chrysler product I owned this car suffered from underpowered air conditioning (sounds loud, hardly cools the car), a jerky automatic transmission with weird gear ratios, and a ride like the shocks were made of oak. NEVER AGAIN!!!

• 

  Just an $80,000 Dodge.. - 2000 Dodge Viper
  By sds130 - November 29 - 11:20 pm

  This is by far the worst car I have ever owned. The car is beautiful and fast, but that is where it ends. Dodges customer service and dealerships are the worst. After getting caught in a rainstorm during a 5 hour trip and having the seals replaced 6 times, I was told by Dodge "dont drive the car in the rain". Battery constantly dies...replaced three times...was told by Dodge..yeah, they have a heavy drain...the owner (of the dealership) has the same problem..just unplug it (invloves taking wheel off). Melted exhaust manifold, plugs, and wires at 19k...told by Dodge "these cars run hot"..door panel repeatedly falls off...all this from an uncomfortable and tempremental car to begin with!

• 

  Its a death trap!! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By FED UP - November 25 - 8:33 pm

  I purchased this car new and regret that day ever existed. I also purchased the extended warranty which does me no good because nobody will honor it. Ive been towed 5 times in the past 3 weeks because i have a transmission problem and my car loses power and goes into limp mode. The only thing my dealership had to say to me was, "I hope you purchased good life insurance." I have taken more time off work and lost so much money because of it and they cant or wont even fix the car. They always have an excuse saying they cant find the problem. Then they say that they found it and fixed it and two days later i get towed again. I wish this car would blow up when Im not in it of course.

• 

  Put me off american cars for good - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By bartlawrence - November 19 - 2:00 am

  The worst car I have bought in my life.I will never buy another Chrystler product again.

• 

  1999 Dodge Neon Coupe - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By kbuhl - November 1 - 2:00 am

  Good car until about 60,000 miles, lots of rattles. Everything starts wearing out. $2000 in repairs in the last year. I would not buy another used one, or a new one if its only gonna last 60,000 miles.

• 

  Dodge Has Abandoned Quality - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By MyMinivanSucks - October 29 - 2:00 am

  The Dodge Caravan is the worst built van I have owned. The doors dont work as advertised, the clock spring (controls the Air Bags) is broken, and the air conditioned is leaking. And, to top it off, the are calling everything "wearable parts" in order to keep from covering it under warrantee!!!! Avoid Chrystler and their products like the plague until they get their products from falling apart after leaving the lot!

• 

  Verrrry Unreliable - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By rs2025 - October 28 - 9:23 pm

  I just traded in my van with 88K miles for a 2012 Honda CRV. This was my 3rd Dodge van and Dodge should be embarrassed by the quality. I will no longer purchase a Chrysler product. Issues: Head gasket, Water pump, Steering rack (I was told I now need anther one) Valve covers needed new seals, Tie rods on both sides, Power side doors - one does not work and the other needs replacement motor, Air Conditioning - Dodge paid for part of the repair because issue was the design with mis-matched metals that causes leaks, Van is rusting and dealer repaired under warranty but not all rust issues, ignition harness, starter - I have no more space but more issues!!

• 

  Avoid the 2.7L at all costs!!!!! - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Avoid 2.7 L!!!! - October 25 - 2:00 am

  Whatever you do dont buy the 2.7L. Ours just blew up after 50,000 miles. If you dont beleive me do an internet search for "Dodge 2.7 sludge", you will see hundreds if not thousands of other people complaining of the same thing at even lower milage! The 2.7L has a design flaw where the top half of the engine overheats and causes oil to turn to sludge, it makes it look like it hasnt had an oil change in years even if it has and they void your warranty over it! If the sludge wasnt bad enough, the sludge screws with the timing belt tensioners and loosens the timing belts in a lot of cases too! Causing damage to lifters and requiring thousands in repairs! Class action suits have been filed