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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  Avergers Are Lemmons. Look what happend - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By MikeCalvino - March 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought this as my first car. Only 2 weeks into having it the tranny blew. I went to bring it back and the man skipped town. Cost me 3k. Later the heater core went. If you think changing these japan heater cores are easy try 8 hours and $800. This car also has an elecrtical problem. Alwas dies and stalls out. Piece if crap

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  Vehicle rating - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By knightrider - March 16 - 2:00 am

  The Dodge Stratus has lots of style on the outside and the inside is nice, but poor quality. My carpet is lifting off the floor and some of the molding near the roof is not snug. Unfortunately, just recently had some problems with a leaky transmission and had to have the transmission pump replaced. Inspite of excellent maintenance the drivability of this car has deminished greatly.

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  Bad Buy - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By ron - March 8 - 10:20 am

  I am very unhappy with my Nitro. It misses out. Tranny is very sloppy and they say this is normal. Bad gas mileage and under powered. I would not reccomend to anyone.

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  Lemon - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By FUNGUY - March 6 - 2:00 am

  Head gasket went after 38K, A/C repaired in 3rd year, electrical problems with signal lights, then radio. Paint pealing off roof and both wiper arms had paint peeling and they both have broken. On the highway the windows scream. Weather stripping around doors and trunk were coming off. Piece of crap!

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  Buyer Beware - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By Un Happy Mopar - March 4 - 2:00 am

  I had to replace V8 engine at 80,000. Speedometer broke, cruise control quit, tailgate wont close, rear end drag, back brake drag. Trans had already been replaced. I finally traded the truck and lost my XXX. I also had a 1996 Dakota and it also had similar problems. I will never, never, never own a Dodge or Chrysler again and I recommend you do the same.

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  Unsatisfied American/now going foreign - 1997 Dodge Caravan
  By foreigner now - March 3 - 2:00 am

  7yrs old&76,000 miles&its shot. warranty expired, various items going wrong,Cupholders frontpanel busted, electricalproblems,the service engine light keeps going on(which they kept telling me nothingwas wrong but a short circuit in thecomputer, which was never fixed),several oil leaks later(valve covergaskets replaced twice), struts&linkage needs to be replaced,now problems with more oil leaking &overheating only to find out that the head gasket is bad and needs to be replaced amongst other things. Whats the trade-in-value now.NOTHING. I guess I will just have to donate it for a tax deduction. NO more dodges for me. It will now be foreign all the way.

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  The Little Car That Cant - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By james720 - March 1 - 2:00 am

  I dont own this car, just had the misfortune to rent it...However, I dislike it so much that I felt that I ought to write a review of it. This car has the loudest engine, the worst auto tranmission, crappy gas mileage, slow pickup, and horrible suspension. I drove my normal route on I-25 in CO and after getting out I felt like someone had put me in a paint mixer, this car needs a much smoother ride. It really lacks when compaired to a Corolla, Grand-Am, Civic, Stratus, or even a KIA.

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  Dont buy one! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By heathers_mom - February 23 - 4:03 am

  I really liked this car when I first got it, paid a little more than I probably should have and now way too upside down to trade in. Now major issues are coming up. I have 12,000 miles now, starting around 6,000 was a thumping noise. Apparently all four tires are bad and Firestone wont warranty them, Dodge just denies its the car! Also, poor design (when you roll down the rear windows, the car shakes so bad, it hurts your ears, sounds like a helicopter on the roof) Also do not like the rubbery plastic interior. Once you bump into it with something, big scratch! Also hate the white ceiling and its fabric. Passenger heated seat hardly warms up. Overall, getting more and more unhappy!!

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  truck is horrible - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By mike9870 - February 14 - 2:00 am

  catalyic converter is shot and from these reviews it is a common problem the automatic shifter column is a toy it is off about 1/4 inch so u dont know if your in drive or 2nd gear, the exterior mirrors dont fold in this truck is in desparate need of a redesign. your better off with a nissan frontier

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  Watch out for head gasket repair - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By bdenis - February 10 - 2:00 am

  Many issues with the enginer. The head gasket required replacement within 3 years. Also, the oil pan and main rear seal need to be replaced after 5 years/85k miles.