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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  Poorly designed - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By joseph - August 27 - 3:21 am

  This vehicle looks nice and is fun to drive. The problem with the vehicle is that Dodge designed it to fall apart and then be so difficult to fix that you would be required to bring it to a dealership so they can make more money. For example the battery is not accessible from engine compartment, must remove tire to access it, drain plug for radiator inside of bumper, brake caliper made out of plastic so it fails every 2-3 brake changes. everything requires special tools to repair it. not an easy car to fix despite many problems with it, gaskets failing, etc. I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  Dakota - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By dsatlle - August 23 - 2:23 am

  Overall, the vehicle is about what I expected. When traveling over bumps or potholes the vehicle jumps off the front tires. it feels really dangerous so Im not happy with the way it handles.The passenger seat does not recline to a comfortable position on long trips, not even half way to 180 degrees, it can be quite uncomfortable. The brakes started squeaking at about 16,000 miles and I have not had them checked, hoping that the dust works itself out without the dealer arming and legging me to take care of it. BTW, I bought a oil change coupon book from the dealer and they are always wanting to do unnecessary work, so beware. Other than oil changes I have done no other maintenance.

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  We got a lemon!! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By ashlnsmom - August 20 - 5:11 pm

  We are VERY disappointed. Yes the HEMI is great & tows our boat effortlessly, but we have had SO many problems that we are in the process of a buy back with Chrysler. Immediately, we had the air conditioning compressor replaced hoping to correct the horribly rough idle(it still idles rough today)The spark plugs were corroded & incorrectly gapped The drivers seat mechanism was replaced, the tire rim replaced for air leakage,rear differential leak,the transmission is now leaking for the 5th time overqualifying us for the buy back, an undiagnosed check engine light,a bolt under the front bumper unscrewed itself thru the bumper TWICE,theres now a grinding noise in the rear.Theres more but no room.

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  A few problems but I am happy! - 1999 Dodge Avenger
  By Adam - August 19 - 2:08 am

  Right when I bought the car I had to put an alternator on it. There are a few other things I had to buy, but what do you expect, the car had 151,000 miles on it. The road noise is very loud. To fix it I bought some better speakers to quiet down the noise. The power steering pump makes al ot of noise as well. That will be the next thing to go out. I think the rims should be recalled, the clear coat is peeling off and looking really nasty. If you like the outside of a car buy it. That is what I did, and I am glad I did!

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  Unreliable piece of Junk - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Unreliable - runaway - August 12 - 10:00 am

  Bought this Grand Caravan SXT with 19K and 11 months old. Paid extra for extended warranty, got my moneys worth after replacing the Door motors SEVEN TIMES! Now post warranty, drivers side only opens auto (no manual door motor clutch stuck), passenger side is only manual, door motor shot. Radiator rusted at 80K, now just dies with no notice, no error code while on HWY at 50+ miles an hour. Hey Chrysler, try a curve at 55 with no power steering %^&*! Dealers and my mechanic cant find anything, no error codes. AC controls on dash, lights flicker on/off, poor solder in unit, had to replace. NOT SAFE, get a HONDA 2011 Odyssey like I did. Still have this Caravan for I cant sell it, unsafe!

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  I have owned better - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Tom from NJ - August 12 - 4:03 am

  I purchased this as a daily commuter vehicle averaging about 100 miles round trip. The interior was making noise from the vibration upon acceleration. I applied clear silicone to where the plastic touched metal and this seemed to stop. The car is not insulated very well and the cabin is very noisy at highway speeds. The pickup is horrible. I expected more from the 177 HP engine. The gas gauge is screwy and no where near accurate. When the light goes on you better get gas quick! Although there were plenty of places to put things it seemed as though I never had enough room. I traded this car in @ 22K miles.

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  Not my idea of a car - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By enrique - August 11 - 2:21 am

  My model of the Dakota has constantly made a grinding sound at high speeds when moving towards the left. Also, it occasionly pulls to the right. The car is pretty nice but mostly the only thing wrong is the gas mileage that it trails. it is horrible. A semi gets better. It doesnt have much horsepower but it does the job. Also, I tried pulling out a tree with small roots and the car had trouble. I believe that my 95 Isuzu Trooper would have been more competent for the task.

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  I hate this Dodge - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By D - August 2 - 11:57 am

  Ive had nothing but problems with my Durango. Its in the repair shop every other month with a bill of around $700.00 a whack. When I bought it, I wasnt planning on a monthly repair budget. Ive had to replace all the major front end pieces, ball joints, tie rods, etc.. The belt has had to be replaced twice, spark plug wires twice, a gasket under the throttle body, one brake rotor, the windows keep sticking and now the u-joints are going out. But I do get to enjoy 18 mpg on the highway, if Im lucky. :( At only 81,000 miles I should NOT be replacing major mechanical parts. If your planning on buying a Durango, plan on budgeting for monthly repairs and have back up transportation ready.

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  Bad news SXT - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By Mike - July 30 - 12:47 am

  The air bag light and warning bell came on and stayed on. It was fixed. That lasted 3 days and it went out again. The dealer replaced a wiring harness that was bad. The rear tailgate could only be opened with the key, so the dealer replaced the power lock unit. The passenger side window wouldnt go down, teh dealer replaced regulator to the power window. If I have this many problems with a new car,what happens when the warranty is up? This vehicle with 4 adults and a 2 yr old on a trip of over 500 miles got at one point 27 mpg and averaged about 22 mpg on the trip. That was in the mountains of KY, TN and NC. The DVD unit is a good babysitter. Sirius satellite radio is good too. Rides good, but Im afraid of reliablity.

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  Dodge lover turns disappointed! - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Edwin - July 23 - 12:25 am

  Uncomfortable, many blind spots, terrible gas milage, sluggish transmission, but it looks great. I bought one, then regreted it. What were the engineers thinking?