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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  Many Miles and Many Repairs - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By clintonanthony - March 9 - 1:52 pm

  I bought my car in 2006 with 80k on it. Needed to immediately replace water pump and deal with leaking oil pan. It is now 2013, so its been a fairly okay car for me to get it over 150,000 miles. I need to junk the car now, because its no good. I live in PA and the bottom of the car is completely rusted out, rocker panels are covered up with rivits and tin. Ive tried to frequently wash the car to avoid this, but it was inevitable. My frame is soft and wont pass another inspection. I would have liked to of got more than 150k out of the car, but its not going to happen.

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  Great first car, but do your research. - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By wneville - March 7 - 4:22 pm

  I bought a 2004 Dodge Neon SXT in March of 2011 while I was living down in Georgia, and the car had a little over 90,000 miles on it. The gas mileage was great, as it averaged about 28 miles per gallon on the city and about 35 miles on the highway. It served its purpose, as it was not only a commuter car, but I drove it 2000 miles back to Montana comfortably, with no problems. The car never burned oil. My underlying problems, however, was that I had to replace the motor mounts, and the check oil light came on soon after I bought the car. I also had to change the alignment twice. This is all before 100,000 miles. The suspension wasnt great, as it felt it was metal on metal at times.

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  It gets the job done - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By augrpeters - March 6 - 7:45 pm

  Coming from a Dodge Grand Caravan, I wish I would have bought another van. The Journey is a great car (79000 trouble free miles,) I just miss the space of a van. Ive had no trouble as described by other owners. I do get a very respectable 24 mpg mixed driving everyday. My Journey is AWD, which shows itself in PA winters. The only gripe I have about the Journey is the 3.5 seems a bit underpowered on the highway.

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  Caliber on Fire - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By losam - March 5 - 10:10 pm

  Until now I have had no problems but 12 minutes into my commute to work on February 28th proved to be fatal for my car and the truck parked beside it. There was the odor of something burning so I turned of everything electrical that I could think of that might be the cause. After coming to a complete stop in the parking lot at my workplace, I noticed steam coming from under the hood and the odor of antifreeze. Three minutes later, the engine compartment totally engulfed in flames resulting in a total lose 20 minutes later. The fire was so hot that its color was almost white. Still waiting to hear what caused the fire. Only 28,600 miles on this ride!

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  Vibration in the rear end - 2012 Dodge Journey
  By dodgejourney - March 5 - 7:57 pm

  We have a 2012 dodge journey bought it December 2012 we have at it at the shop 7+ times with a vibration in the rear end. If anyone can have someone drive them ride in the back and you will feel it. Starts around 40 and gets worse around 46. They dont want to fix it. So please if you have this problem go to dodge and complain. They have gave us the run around. If we can get a case against them then lets do it. We have drove a 2010, 2012, and 2013 they all do it. Time for them to have a recall.

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  Best vehicle Ive ever owned - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By cglietz - March 4 - 1:53 pm

  I own an SLT 5.7L HEMI V8 4X4. Absolutely LOVE IT!! I bought mine in 2008 with 76,000 miles on it. It looked and ran like brand new. In my 5 years of ownership all Ive had to replace is routine stuff. Battery, tires, brakes, serpentine belt, trans pan gasket at 110,000 due to small leak ($75). I have 151,000 miles on it and it runs the same as the day I purchased it. Only complaints: CD player stopped working and rust on rear tailgate by handle. I pull a large boat every summer with it also. I had a severe 50mph accident couple years ago in snow which smashed the entire passenger side. Not a scratch on me and drove the vehicle to repair shop. Extremely safe and reliable vehicle!!!

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  Great Car - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By arcticslalom - March 3 - 9:42 pm

  Wife has this car for past 7 years. We ran it till 220,000 miles and sold it for $1000. What a great car. 28 mpg, very reliable. The car held together very well. Almost everything worked perfectly when we sold it. It was her car through medical school, residency, fellowship and finally her first year as an MD. Just based on this car, I would certainly buy another dodge car. Cant say enough about the engine and transmission. Ive owned nissans for years, but this dodge really proved that the domestics are doing some things right in the sedan category.

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  dodge stratus se coupe 2001 the truth about it - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By onlythetruth - March 2 - 4:15 am

  good things :when i am driving my car,it is as fast as new cars,never behind them,most time in front of. aceleration brilliant,you will be really surprised about it.really fun to drive.edmunds said the truth about it. brakes enough good,4 discs. engine sounds excelent,trunk huge for a coupe car .rear seats very comfortable,they look like sedan seats ,not like the caracteristics coupe little seats.sound sistem enough good.i reproduce music with my phone and sounds powerful.and the last good thing,the car looks really nice for 2001. and now the bad details,,the front bumper is too low,and sometimes hit the front line when i am parking, and the last one, turning ratio is not so good

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  Continued engine problems-8th trip to dealership - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By dodgeowner44 - March 1 - 8:27 pm

  Ive owned my 2013 Dart just over 2 months now and have had to take it back to the dealership 8 times for temperature sensor problems with the engine. No fix available. Dealership, Tyson Motors in Shorewood,IL, will no longer document the check engine light re-setting in their computer system. Outside air temp 24 degrees out when check engine light came on this 8th time. Again, only taking it in now once per week to re-set the fault code otherwise it would be daily occurrence given the colder temperatures in Chicago.

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  Nice Looking but a Little Fragile - 1995 Dodge Avenger
  By zecashman - March 1 - 8:22 pm

  I purchased this vehicle in October and have since driven 5000 km. Before we get into the problems Ive had with this car, it is important to understand that I paid $300 for it and it had been sitting for awhile. Service records were non-existent. Problems so far: Brake pads and rotors (normal wear and tear) New Tires, ones on the car were bald. oil change spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor (all have to be replaced every 100,000km. Mine appeared to be original. Wheel hub bearings So far the car hasnt given me any unexpected trouble, save for a broken door handle (cheapest door handle ever). Parts are cheap, except tires which are ridiculous. Snow tires and winter rims cost $1200.