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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  troubles - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By sdh - December 6 - 2:00 am

  This truck was great until 87,000 miles, then it fell apart. It burns up cat converters--needs 4th already, had to have a new transmission and ball joints.

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  showroom lemon - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By AngelsAmongUs561 - December 6 - 2:00 am

  idles rough. electrical problems, transmission shifts rough. stalls randomaly. cv joints bad allready. rear brakes make loud noises. dealer claims nothing wrong with car. do not buy a Neon, big waste of money, will be trading in for another chevy cavalier, wished i kept my 95 chevy

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  girst and last time I buy a Dodge - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By mdmissymarie - December 4 - 2:00 am

  The place I bought the car from was great! The didnt try to hassel me or make me feel stupid. thats about where The good news ends. I wii never buy another Dodge. At abot 30000 miles the back wheel broke. Some bolts broke and the tire was at about a 45 degree angle to the car. The paid for most of that to get fixed then my fan switch broke all within a year of ownership. oh yeah when the wipers are on and I turn the wheel or use the blinker the lights in the car power flux (change brightness) Ive heard dodge trucks are made better than there cars. I sure hope they are But I will never find out first hand this is my last dodge experience.

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  The worst money can buy - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By PEEVED - November 30 - 10:00 am

  I bought my ragedy piece of crap in july of 1999. I wanted to get rid of it a year later. Ive have two transmissions replaced, a selnoid replaced (whatever that is), fuel lines and gauges replaced. Ive taken it to the dealer est. 20 times, mostly for poor performance, lack of power which of coarse they can never seem to find the problem. The gas milage is ridiculous, the power is horrible, esp from a 5.9 liter V8 engine. I hate this SUV so much that im increasing my monthly payments so i can pay it down and trade it in. PLEASE, IF YOU EVER THOUGHT OF BUYING A DURANGO.....DONT. GET A TOYOTA.

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  95 dodge neon highline - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By browneyes - November 30 - 2:00 am

  43000 miles when i bought it. Repairs are expensive. I have had to replace the water pump several times, the transmission $3400, alternator, cv joints fuel pump, fuel filter and much more. Oh by the way if you live where it snows, careful getting stuck. This car handles well in the snow i certainly feel safe. Or could that be because it is constantly stuck. Dont rock it.I have put about 7000- 8000 dollars into this car. I drove to new york once, car broke down on the way back in pennsylvania. I have not felt comfortable driving the hour to visit my family for fear that my children and i will be stranded. I swore off dodges after driving this car.

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  Dodge the Dodge! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By jr lewis - November 24 - 2:00 am

  Good looking vehicle with a quality of a hyundai.

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  Terrible quality, comfort and service - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Greg - November 12 - 12:46 am

  STX V6. Seriously, could there be a cheaper car built that claims quality? The interior is all plastic and screams cheesy. Tranny chirps when decelerating and chugs on low rpm. Dealer said this was normal. NORMAL! Was raining when I bought it used. Salesman said nothing wrong with it. There were scratches all over the trunk deck and a big scratch in the bumper. Dirty inside. He said it would be detailed. Got it back with deodorant dumped under floor mats. Not cleaned. Seats are hard as a rock. When I emailed customer service because I couldnt get satisfaction from dealer all I received was an automated response. I hate this car!

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  the worst car i ever had - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By kj6992 - November 5 - 2:00 am

  it was the worst car i ever owned. i would not have any other chrysler product in my garage. they are cheap, they dont run worth anything after 30,000 miles, and i just dont think they care too much about us.

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  Dodge Caravan Transmissions Go out at 60k - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By lanrivers - October 22 - 7:55 pm

  This Van is a curse. I have owned over 5 for fleet and all transmissions average around 60,000 and thats it. Expensive to replace AND many times the rebuild only lasts a week. One had to be rebuilt 3 times. Too expensive. Why Dodge doesnt correct this problem? The mechanic told me they could if they put the correct hardened components in but they dont want to because it helps there service Dept. create revenue that they would not have if it was too dependable. Big Scam. Avoid this van unless you have very deep pockets. Cost me 10s of thousands over 10 years. Keep away.

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  BAD JOB DODGE - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By donny190 - October 19 - 2:00 am

  I brought this car as a new years present to my self. i have had nothin but truoble. my starter went a month after i brought it, there is this anning rattle coming from the ehgne still need that fixed. i like the hemie good idea.