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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  First and LAST Dodge - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By sweat - April 3 - 2:00 am

  Bought extended warranty to 50k miles. At 70k miles, check engine light came on and was told by Palmer Dodge needed $700 to repair transmission. Ind. shop said nothing was wrong, changed fuild and never had another problem. At 72k miles, engine blew up. Dealer said too bad..no one at Chrysler would talk with me..Spent $3000 to replace engine. At 82k miles, was told valve was bad in 1 cylinder. Traded car today for new Volvo. Got $7K trade in and still owed $13K. Still happiest day of my life. DODGE, CHRYSLER AND PALMER DODGE IN ALPHARETTA, GA ARE THE WORST IN THE WORLD. I feel sorry for anyone I see in a Durango.

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  Bad Car! - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Stef4551 - April 1 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle is a piece of garbage! Ever since I have Had mine it has been nothing but problems. It has been in the shop 5 times. The car shakes everytime you come to a stop, it has had to have 2 batteries replaced in it, it has completly shut-off after it is started, ( Happened twice), and the a/c constantly runs, even when in the off position. I would not suggest any one to by this car.

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  Starts pretty, ends ugly - 1991 Dodge Caravan
  By markej - March 29 - 2:00 am

  We purchased this van with the hopes of having a good quality vehicle that would last many years. Weve made it last many years, but at the expense of replacing the transmission (twice), the water pump, the alternator, the radiator and other items as well. The interior is falling apart, the paint is peeling off and the electrical has given us fits. After the water pump failed a second time, weve given up and sent it off to retirement. Good riddance to bad rubbish! Never again with a Dodge minvan.

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  Dont buy this car - 1992 Dodge Shadow
  By braklvr - March 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car in August/2002. Three weeks into my purchase, the head gasket broke. Two months and $800 later, the cam shaft broke. $300 later, it broke again. I have a good mechanic who didnt charge me the 2nd time but he said it will break again because the engine isnt holding the cam shaft in place right.

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  NOT happy - 1995 Dodge Stratus
  By NOT happy - March 21 - 2:00 am

  Nothing but problems since the purchase date. The thing can eat brakes more than anything, crap transmission, and who thought to put the battery under the fender? Looks great, runs horribly.

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  Never again a Dodge - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By amstad - March 17 - 2:00 am

  I have had the Dodge Durango since 98. It has broken down 5 times already. All window motor sensors needed to be replaced. The waterpump broke two times. Tranmission seals needed to be replaced. It is a mess. Never again will purchase a dodge.

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  A Sheep in Wolfs Clothing - 1997 Dodge Avenger
  By Rotting - March 16 - 2:00 am

  Over the 3 years I owned the car, the first 1.5 years were trouble-free, and the last 1.5 years were trouble-full. The problems seemed to be related to things Ive never had problems with in cars - for example, last month I had to install a new power steering pump. Even religious oil changes will not help to keep this car out of the shop. During my last trip to the shop, during a test drive the car caught fire and was destroyed.

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  In shop more often then on the road - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By cleatus - March 14 - 2:00 am

  This truck is great when it is running, unfortuntly, that is not too often. With less then 20k it needed a steering rack. About 30 k came the 1st set of rotors,at 81k now its on its 3rd set. water pump and catalytic coverter have also had to be replaced.I now have an ABS and brake light lit up indicating ABS failure and have found out the toque converter in the transmission is bad. This truck is less then 5 years old and has 81000 miles. too many problems for a vehical of this age...

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  Mines a Lemon - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By Jimslemon - March 9 - 2:00 am

  My vehicle has been in the shop 7 times since I bought it. It will be going back shortly. The ABS isnt working properly. This is the second time something has been wrong with the brakes. The dash board has been rattling since 17000 miles. That will need to be fixed too. My MPG hovers around 13MPG on the HIGHWAY! Needless to say, I am more than disappointed in the DODGE product and will be going back to foreign manufacturers.

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  Can you say Electrical Problem? - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By 7TimeChamp_3 - February 26 - 2:00 am

  I should have known better than to by another Dodge. Much like my 97 Caravan this car has been one problem after another. My ABS has failed 4 times on the car and Chrysler has done very little to try to fix it. The 5 speed is hard to shift, often requiring a double clutch to get the car to shift, which the dealer tells me is normal. I have been driving manual shift cars for 15 years and have never had these issues. The car is sluggish, our other car is an 02 VW Cabrio with a 4 banger and it runs every but as well as my R/T. Dealer tells me that is the thin air in Colorado. I think the car is thin on good old HP.