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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  2006 Charger R/T Riddled with Problems - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By motorhead62 - November 7 - 4:51 pm

  Poor build quality. There was a recall for the shifter assembly that my vehicle was not a part of, that I had to pay out of pocket. Terrible Chrysler customer service. Constant rattle in the front end that the dealer could not resolve. Terrible ride over broken pavement. HVAC never worked properly and it developed a fan rattle in the dash. Parking break never worked. Dodge could not fix. The battery for the car is a M. Benz marine battery and hard to locate. This car was my first and LAST Chrysler product. Never again.

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  Disappointing Performance - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By rworth12345 - October 17 - 12:06 pm

  I have the Dart Limited with a 1.4L Turbo Engine, Manual Transmission. Overall the quality of this car is very good both inside and out. Some road noise at higher speeds, but the ride is smooth. Touch screen & GPS are great, it even finds lowest gas prices in the area. OK gas mileage, I currently get 29city/35highway. That is less than other cars in this class. Used both regular gas and plus, not much difference. And if you have the A/C on you lose even more mpg & the engine gets REALLY bogged down, like towing a boat. Manual transmission is OK, 1st & 2nd gear are a bit rough and 3-6 are fine. Clutch was sticking to the floor, dealer says nothing wrong with it.

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  However designed the seats should be FIRED! - 2013 Dodge Avenger
  By gogoallison - October 16 - 2:50 am

  The front seats have a horrible design flaw. The non-removable head rest tilts your neck 45 degrees forward. After driving for several hours, I was sick with a headache. My friend drove the next day and he got sick too. Another person rode as a passenger and she got sick. You wont notice the bad design in a test drive but you will notice it after about an hour. How did such a bad design ever get approved? So far, everyone who has spent time in the front seat of this car has become ill.

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  good at times.. horrible at times - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By jay9544 - October 15 - 12:31 pm

  i got this car with 95,000 miles and now have 132,000 thats it for now i dont plant on driving it anymore. The ECU is done.. I dont think its worth the money to fix this car. I have already replaced the transmission and the cam shaft sensor. I have changed the oil and filter religiously since i have gotten it. I just bought some new tires as well. In the end the car is decent looking for its size and pretty comfortable for a big guy like me even. But it is horrible quality and uses horrible parts.

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  valve seat nightmare - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By imkutap1 - September 29 - 8:36 am

  this car is made with cheap parts on the interior. ac vents and headliner fell off after 12000 miles. carpet on the flooring pulls out of the seems as well. MOSTLY is the fact I have run on synthetic oil every 5K miles since day one. I have a cold air intake and custom cat back exhaust so it can breathe better and stay cooler. high performance thermostat to turn the fans on sooner too. valve seat dropped blew the engine, intake and O2 sensors. 100K miles and 7500 to repair, car worth 10K now. research shows hemi engine does this a lot! really bad investment and a horribly made car all the way through. DO NOT BUY!! you cant prevent the failure and Chrysler doesnt care so many have failed

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  Ive driven better..... - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By rlfeen - September 14 - 4:27 am

  I am the second owner of my Caliber. It currently has 136k~ miles on it. Roomy car, love the exterior. Interior is nice, however the design hasnt aged well. A TON of plastic. Plastic is everywhere is there are NO soft touch materials except the headliner and seats. HORRIBLE suspension. Replaced lower control arms, ball joints, you name Ive replaced it. Luckily I bought a GREAT warranty. Drives great on the highway. Smooth and quiet. city driving is okay, hate the CVT especially in the city. Feels like it takes for ever to get up and go. (it is a larger car so I guess this is expected). Paint is still pretty good. I have black so it shows EVERY flaw.

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  Everything that could go wrong, will!!!! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By mommaturkey - September 10 - 4:42 pm

  I purchased my 2009 Journey SXT in July 2008 and have had problems ever since. I have wierd noises coming from the back by the exhaust pipes, the car will not start sometimes until I move the shifter in and out of park, the brakes are horrible (having to replace them every 12,000 miles or so) and now the sound I had in the front is now a blown out motor mount. This car has been to the dealers so many times and they could never figure out any of the problems. Once it is paid for, I am selling it!! No more "US" made cars for me!! Oh and I get shocked every time I get in and out of the car!!

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  1999 Dodge Neon highline AUTOMATIC - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By samanthawade - September 5 - 4:21 pm

  I just want to start off by saying, this car has been very great since Ive had it. I have had it for almost 2 years. It is a 1999 and it only has 65,000 miles as of right now. The only problem that has happened since, is a leak in the break line, which was a very cheap fix. The car has great MPG and trunk space. I would recommend to an elderly woman or new driver! The only thing I cannot stand about this car is the size. ITS SO SMALL. I am not an extremely large person, but I am not tiny. It is very uncomfortable to drive. I am in the market for a new car because I cant handle how small this car is. I do not recommend this car to anyone who is a little overweight.

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  Screeching noise - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By matchbox20fan - July 18 - 9:17 pm

  My avenger makes a horrible screeching sound when I back up in low speed and apply brakes. My backing plate, rear rotors pads and clips have been replaced only to make the sound worse and now noise is heard when I go forward also. I have notified Chrysler only to be turned away because no dealership can find a problem. Yet all heads turn when my car is leaving

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  2.0 Rallye 6 speed powershift auto. - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By elvis765 - July 13 - 6:07 pm

  The paint job was aweful. Thin and scratched easy. Had 2 major defects the dealer should have spotted before putting it on the lot. No paint below the passanger door just bare metal, and a big half dollar sized swirl mark. The buttons felt cheap and "wobbled" and the touch screen back up camera was cut off at the lower part of the screen and rolled up to the top part. Like an old t.v. with horizontal hold off. (Kids ask your folks). The seating was just o.k. and on longer trips somewhat uncomfortable. The brakes work by being on or off. No happy medium and this is bad. The duel exhaust rattled when you turned the car off like it was hitting something. Gas mileage was just o.k.