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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  Never Again!!!! - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By Hollywood - February 19 - 2:00 am

  This was my very first car and the absolute worst experience Ive ever had. It has been one depressing moment after another. I have spent more on fixing the car than what it is actually worth. Id list all the problems, but there is far to many. Mainly brakes and head gasket problems. Oh, did I mention it dies a lot. Especially when I slow down. I took it to four different mechanics, all of which looked and me and said dump. So, that is what I am now doing. Ive heard the newer neons are much better, but because of having such a horrible experience with this one I will never buy another neon or doge product and will tell others not to waste their money.

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  Please Stay Away - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By Noneon - February 17 - 2:00 am

  Original owner 85,000 miles went thru 2 head gaskets under warranty and Head Gasket is leaking at present time. (no warranty) Had Transmission replaced under warranty.(Lucky) This car is slowly falling apart one piece at a time. Paint on trunk is falling off, interior not holding up well. I will not go near a chrysler product again.

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  Loved it at first...Now a headache - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By cteague - February 17 - 2:00 am

  I loved this car when I first got it. It looked great and drove great. The problem came when the engine blew. After doing much research, I have found that there have been many problems with this model and the 2000. Engines blow prematurely and it costs anywhere between $3000 and $5000 to replace. I was told by the mechanic to fix the car and then sell it. That would be great, but the resale value has sharply declined in the last year due to so many problems with the engines. I strongly suggest...DONT BUY THIS MODEL!

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  look elsewhere - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By 1cjkn - February 14 - 2:00 am

  I use this vehicle as service rep.and carry lot of tools. Seats are uncomfortable after 15 minutes, at highway speeds it wanders, hard to keep in lane.poor air-conditioner, poor heat.No storage space, to keep things from floating around. Sun visors are the poorest ever in a car.Brakes worn out at 25000 miles, engine spark knocks, wheels were warped on first rotation

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  pos - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By john g - February 14 - 2:00 am

  anything with 4-wheel drive is fun to drive in the snow. we have lost our transmition, it took 3 weeks to get back only to have more problems with the obd. its going tomm. a`nd i am getting a nissan maxima

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  bad luck with the durango - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By tara mcGahey - February 13 - 2:00 am

  My car has been one big headache. I have pages and pages of repair and repeated repair bills.

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  I plan to quit this trade name! - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By King, P - February 12 - 2:00 am

  I have spent too much money on this van, I now need to pay $2400 for a new transmission that I have complained about for a year!

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  another DC lemon - 1993 Dodge Intrepid
  By coralboy - February 11 - 2:00 am

  A/C in these vehicles was an annual repair issue that dealer and manufacturer made you fight about. Overall reliability the worst ever. How about a passenger window that falls off track and breaks in door. Transmission problems galore. Overall assessment - Ill never buy another DC product!!!!!

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  dodge intrepid - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By susu - February 10 - 2:00 am

  no standard abs poor handleing in wet weather wipers wore out quick std stereo is poor quality compared to other cars of its class transmision slips frequently , dodges excuse is that it is an electronic trany ............poor!!!! this is unexcuseable very bad resale value. i purchased this car at 0% financing and im fliped !!! thats bad. when you are looking for a car , look at the resale value in black book befor you deside that will tell you how good the car is you are buying this car is good to get from a to b but nothing special . too much money for the quality of this car

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  Lemon - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Darryl Knieff - February 10 - 2:00 am

  I have had poor luck with my Dakota! It will shimmy, try to die, rattles, and has poor power on take off. I hav been told by (experts) that this is normal for this truck. Now you and I know this isn`t true. It also has major slack in the drive-train. My gas mileage is much worse than sticker showed. This is the second Dakota bought new that I have had problems with, a 93, and this 02,. Who would dream of getting 2 lemons in a row, or is this the standard for dodge. I will never own another chrysler product!