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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  7 times in the shop - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By bramor - April 29 - 2:00 am

  Id highly recommend looking elsewhere for a vehicle which is more reliable and build well than this Dodge Intrepid. The styling is great but I guess I got what I paid for. Within the first year of ownership this car was back to the dealer for repairs 6 times. 3 oxygen sensors, 1 master cylinder, 1 brake booster, 1 thermostat and a partridge in a pear tree. Just recently I had to replace the rotors and brake pads due to major vibrations in the steering wheel when braking at high speeds. After 28,500 miles(mostly on the highway) I ready to sell this piece.

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  The woest purchase ever - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By salyalma - April 27 - 6:20 pm

  Not even 50K Miles on it and already expend $1500 in cooling and heating repairs, first AC pipes blow, then radiator and radiator cap ($400) ,the intake manifols gasket $350 and now the water pum ($350) I wont recommend this vehicle to nobody, the interior plastic panels and seat handles broke, bumper clamps loose this vehiclke really sucks

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  The Dynasty that wasnt - 1992 Dodge Dynasty
  By REO - April 24 - 2:00 am

  The car was purchased after we had sold a Neon that we had won. The Dynasty was ours for under 2 years. We changed the transmission once and ditched the car after it went bad for the second time. The belt and everything else in the engine was changed. The car had overly soft seats, as well as an overly suspension.

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  too many problems - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By ke - April 20 - 2:00 am

  Ive had many problems. Knocking/horrible pinging first 18,000 miles until manufacturer came up with a fix, needed ball joints at 35,000 mi., new heater core at 50,000. Transmission leak since before warranty was up-- had it in for repair three times but they can find it, yet my oil changing store sure can! The car is beginning to have squeaks and rattles at 50,000. It is slow and lumbering and gets very poor gas mileage (10 mpg)

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  big mistake - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By matt - April 16 - 2:00 am

  the more people i come across the more i see the same problems with this car head gasket front end parts and the head i have spent over 3500 just to keep it running the first year and a half i had it and i did find out other people had the same problem

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  worst van - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By wtreq - April 16 - 2:00 am

  quality suck spend over 2000 in repairs not sefty you dont have to hold break pedal when start to drive delership service worst in the world and for $71.00 an hour they was willing to start a guessing game

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  Never agian - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By Going to Nissan - April 11 - 2:00 am

  I had to replace my catalytic converter 5 times. The first was before my first oil change. That one only lasted 6 months. Replace again, got another 6 months out of it. After the third one it was the new and improved model, yeah right. Lasted a year. Replace again lasted another year. Go to Midas or someplace similar that has a warranty on their products.

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  Dakota doesnt live up to its billing - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By benhunts - April 9 - 2:00 am

  Power is adequate for a V-6 but at the expense of fuel economy. Had to replace factory tires @ 19k miles battery @ 24k miles brake pads at 27k backup lights havent worked in 2 years despite replacing wiring, bulbs, fuses, etc. rad.temp circuit chip at 55k A/C fail at 60k fan clutch @ 63k front rotors, calipers, & pads. Paint began fading on the roof and tailgate at 43k and is now spreading over the cab. Truck, with the exception of the above, has performed reliably well in spite of the above.

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  Junk Car - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By extremely unhappy - April 8 - 2:00 am

  This car has many problems. Head Gasket went, squeaky brakes, windows dont seal....seems to be a recurring problem. Like others, the "customer service" department didnt live up to thier name! I would NOT recommend buying a Neon!

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  sucks gas and eggs too - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By GM_Bound - April 6 - 3:00 am

  2 drive shafts replaced. rack & pinion steering replaced. Tranny recall, spewing fluid all over the engine. 3 door locks failed, 4th one is now starting to fail. computer reprogrammed, Radiator fan relay stuck in the RUN position, would not turn off, not to mention that the local dealer gives me a PURPLE neon as a loaner with $1000 deductible that I am responsible for. Other than the list above, it was dependable ( haha ).