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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  Stay Away from this Car - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By NoMoreNeons - September 16 - 2:00 am

  I promise this, is my last Chrysler product. I have had bad experiences with everyone of them except a Jeep Wrangler, but I got rid of it just in time. My neon is the worst of the lot. Head Gasket blew at about 30K, fortunately, still under warranty. I have 80,000 miles now and pray it wont blow again based on other reviews. Constant problems ever since though. Cant seem, to keep the AC running more than 2 months at a time. Spent $1,000 repairing it this June, and it went out in less than 6 weeks. Took three more trips to the shop to try to fix it. Leaks oil, transmission fluid, etc.

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  Lemon -- Leaks Oil All the Time - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By LouisvilleKY - September 8 - 2:00 am

  This car is a lemon! Avoid it!!! After replacing the head gasket, valve cover gasket, transmission pan gasket, and the transmission cooler hose lines at 55,000 miles it still leaks fluid.

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  Dont waist your money! - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By Dodgesux - September 8 - 2:00 am

  I advise to never buy a Dodge or ever a Dodge Avenger. My car is a 1996 which is the second year they made these cars and it was the biggest lemon I could have ever imagined buying. Within the last year I have replaced the engine, the transmission, the radiator, $800 in brakes which are going out once again, and the fuel pump. Also the thermostat was replaced. All of this and last week i was leaning back in my seat to replace my wallet and the seat broke so I havent got any back support. This car has never been wrecked but has completely fallen apart! Terrible car will never buy Chrysler again!

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  Why Cant They Build It RIGHT????? - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By LionelMan - August 24 - 2:00 am

  Well, Ive owned three of these: 86, 92, and 98 and now Im done with Chrysler. The AC systems are junk, the electronics are flaky, and they make more wind noise than a pickup truck! The 3.0L is underpowered and isnt safe to drive in heavy traffic. Im buying a Honda Odessey next.

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  No Way! - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By Pitts - August 22 - 2:00 am

  We purchased the caravan new in 1996 and we will NEVER buy another Dodge again. From the start we had problems with the transmission (twice rebuilt), constant brake problems, AC (twice), radiator problems and so many other smaller brake downs - I cant name them all. We even had an extended warranty, but after so many times in the shop, its our time lost and loss of confidence in this vehicle that was suppose to be dependable that we will choose to never buy Dodge again.

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  Horrible Car - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By Very upset - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Where should I start? I can say for sure that I will never buy another Chrysler again. This car constantly has problems...I have put over $3,000 into it just this year, and I am a broke college student. When I take it to the dealership, they are rude. In fact, just a few weeks ago, my check engine light came on and I took it to get fixed...4 times!! The light kept coming on and they would say they fixed it but they didnt. Needless to say, I am still driving with the light on. Dont buy this car...it was a waste of money for me!

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  Do Not Put Yourself In this position. - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Jennifer - August 16 - 11:36 pm

  I have had mine for less than 4 months and it has been serviced 13 times and have been in the shop a total of 28 days (accumulative). It made a noise when turning left, which took them forever to figure out, the windshield made a buzzing sound on the interstate, the dashboard rattled, the back vents didnt work on low. So I have had a new power steering pump, new brakes, new shocks, new rotors, a new blower switch, 2 new cal panels, a part in the dashboard, a new air conditioning belt, and 5 new tires, which made the gas mileage worse. Heres the kicker, the steering wheel vibrates as well as the driver and passenger seat vibrates and they cannot fix it. DO not buy one of these.

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  1998 Dodge Dakota - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By M.Rogers - August 13 - 2:00 am

  We have had nothing but problems with our Dodge. We bougt it and the Dealer told us it was normal for the gears on a manuel Dodge to be tight to shift. So, not but a few months after we bought the truck second and fifth started slipping. Then our Catalytic Converter went out, warranty recall. Then we found out the truck has an exaust leak from a bolt head that came off and is stripped so we have to take the truck to a Master Mechanic. We wanted to sell the truck but unfortuatly Dodge vehicles do not hold their value so we are about $3000.00 unside down in the truck loan. Who said life inst fair!!!!!

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  This car stinks - 1996 Dodge Stratus
  By angrydodgeowner - August 7 - 2:00 am

  I have spent over $3,000 in repairs on this vehicle during a three-year period. I have had to replace the head gasket and have a new transmission put in. Plus, I just had to have new transmission seals replaced after 40,000 miles. The mechanic told me there is no air that gets to these seals so fluid builds up on them and they heat up and crack. These cars are pieces of crap. I would not recommend this car to my worst enemy. Dont buy this car!!!!

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  Absolutely the worst car Ive ever had! - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By JMc - August 5 - 2:00 am

  Absolutely the worst car Ive ever had, and the worst dealer/factory service Ive ever experienced...! Problems too numerous to list here. Quality control, vehicle integrity, and customer satisfaction are NOT Chrysler strong points. Premature failure of the automatic transmission at 8,000 miles. After several repeated repair attempts over 15 months by the servicing dealer, the transmission problem(s) were never corrected. A plea for assistance to DCX Canada was brushed off by a form letter boasting about how qualified their dealer service personnel are to solve technical problems. Not true. Chrysler has yet to learn the meaning of "customer satisfaction".