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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  Reliability Issues - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Sani - September 7 - 2:00 am

  My dad bought a new Honda Odyssey this year and sold me this car, since I couldnt fit a car seat for my new baby into my 1992 Toyota Celica. He had the transmission rebuilt and then drove it up from Florida to Missouri with a trailer of furniture - well under the 3,000 pound limit. Now, the car needs a $3,000 ABS part, and the transmission needs to be rebuilt again, after less than 5,000 miles. The wipers operate randomly, which others in the reviews have noted, and the Infinity radio/CD/tape doesnt work - the buttons have to be pushed very hard, and then they sometimes operate other functions. Im fixing it and selling it - and buying a nice, reliable used Camry.

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  Brakes - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By rick - August 20 - 7:03 am

  I had a Dodge Grand Caravan that I purchased there less than a year before with brake noise. My wife complained on previous occasions but was told nothing was wrong. When they finally looked at it vehicle was out of warranty period and they said the repair would not be covered. It cost us $471.98 to replace front and back pads and resurface rotors. Was not informed that a TSB #05-006-08 had been issued. Part number recommended in TSB does not match part number on my invoice. Now they need replaced again a year later because they were making a squealing noise and overheating. When I took it in to a local mechanic, he said my left rear caliper is leaking and needs to be replaced. No calipers

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  Watch out. - 1992 Dodge Stealth
  By Jonathan - August 16 - 11:14 pm

  These arent reliable. Dont let the name fool you. This car is what is known as a "captive import". It is a Mitsubishi 3000gt badged as a Dodge. Mitsu parts are very expensive, and the labor is difficult and expensive as well. They break easily especially with age. But, if you happen to get a good one, the twin-turbos are awesome, and the all wheel drive is really fun as well.

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  Not that great of a car - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By james - August 15 - 1:57 pm

  I bought my Neon with somewhere around 62,000 miles, which at the time seemed great. But the car leaked massive amounts of oil, and the speedometer broke and would come on and off while driving(so my Neon still has around 62,000 miles). The longer I had the Neon the worse the problems got. Often on the freeway ramp the car will take a long time to shift into a higher gear, forcing me to merge with free way traffic at 45mph. Ive taken mine to the shop to repace 02 sensor, head gasket, and just recently the wiring to the computer. I have had the Neon die on me while driving in traffic a number of times (which is both embarrassing and scary). I am done with Neons, they require too much up keep.

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  So..so minivan - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mom of 2 boys - August 1 - 11:00 am

  This car was a year old when I purchased it. It is great on long drives because of the room. I have several dents in the rear bumper because of the difficulty to see behind. The car was good for the first couple of years, but now is experiencing major mechanical problems. I wish the seats would "stow and go" easier. The third row is a pain to remove.

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  Early Magnum results - 2007 Dodge Magnum
  By Dlin - July 15 - 1:11 am

  Nice comfortable car with lousy windows and mediocre controls. What were they thinking? Hard to see stoplights, tops of hills etc. through narrow low windshield, the back has a narrow slit that gets dirty fast and is hard to see much in the rear either. Only question was where to mount the machine gun in the bunker. The cruise control, trip odometer are poorly located and designed, who needs an extra left handed stalk that runs right across the gas gauge. Did you hit the turn signal or the cruise control? Bad design. Controls and instruments have been much better designed in nearly all cars for over 50 years. Styling just to be different just dosent cut it.

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  Needs improvements - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Anita - July 9 - 8:13 pm

  My husband and I wanted a Durango for years so we decided to purchase one a 1 1/2 yr ago. We did not have any major problems with this vehicle until around 25,500 miles on it. Now we are experiencing stalling periodically, a loud noise in the front left tire/engine under the vehicle area, and a loose felling in the steering. The rack and pinion has been replaced twice and it has been in the shop around 15 days in a 4 week period. I cant imagine that a certified mechanic can not hear the noise in the front and not being able to fix the problem. Not including the fact that the vehicle stalls when you least expect it. Very scary.

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  Only if you need Stow n Go - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By 08LasVenturas - July 2 - 11:06 pm

  If you are looking for a minivan or SUV around the same price as a used Grand Caravan, Id look elsewhere unless you need the Stow n Go, which is a good feature. The only problems Ive had with it is that the seats are heavy & you have to move up the front seats to fold the 2nd row. The van is comfortable inside and has plenty of cup holders and room. The ride is sub par, but its easy to drive and handles well for a van of its size. The 3rd row flips into a tailgate which is a cool feature. There are also individual map lights for each seat. But the speakers in the 3rd row are huge and anyone sitting back there will surely go deaf.

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  Disappointed - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By BaylieKat - June 30 - 2:03 am

  Ive had this car for 8 months now and have been disappointed. I got it as a replacement for an aging 91 Maxima and I hate admitting that the 16 year old car had a smoother quieter more fuel efficient engine along with a quieter interior. I am very displeased with the fuel mileage for this car in the city. If youre lucky you might get 17 mpg. That number jumps to near 30 on the highway. I think Dodge really missed the transmission gear ratios here. The Stratus isnt a bad car, it just lacks a lot of refinement. I expected to have a much better car after losing the maxima. Instead, I end up with on that is merely adequate transportation.

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  I will not buy a fourth one!!! - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By marcus4e - June 26 - 10:00 am

  This is my 3rd Grand Caravan. It is the best design and ride of all minivans we have tried. However, Chrysler quality sucks. I am already having front end problems at 48K miles. Interior stuff is falling apart. I expect to have the same air conditioning and valve problems under 70K miles as I did on the first 2. Why buy a third one you ask? Because it is the only one with the best ride and best interior size for a minivan and with a large family of 6 I needed that. They have a great concept, but very poor execution after marketing it for 17 years.