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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  2000 Intrepid - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By jkzn - September 27 - 2:00 am

  Many misc. minor problems as well as major problems with 2.7L engine. Not very reliable.

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  Do Not Buy Dodge - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Fenway5 - September 27 - 2:00 am

  I have had this van for two years. I am in the process of trading it in for a Toyota (I owned a Toyota prior to buying this van). At 37,600 miles the headlights started going out. I was driving in the middle of the night and the headlights went out on me. I am lucky I didnt kill myself. Dodge Dealer said it was an electrical short? The car is only two years old! Also had trouble with battery disconnecting from its mount at a 1 year old.

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  Looks great, but... - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By Buy a Toyota - September 27 - 2:00 am

  Bought brand new in 2001. I am very unhappy with the quality and reliability of the vehicle. It only has 43K miles on it and I have already had to replace both rear U joints to the tune of $400. I have owned many trucks and never had to replace U joints at this low a mileage. In addition, we paid for an extended warranty, but the warranty company went out of business so we are stuck having paid the cost of the warranty but still have to pay for the repairs! Dealer says sorry but there is nothing they can do.

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  a very Bad Choice - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By Jarett_87 - September 18 - 2:00 am

  When I first bought this car it worked and ran great for about two weeks then the starter stoped working at 43200 miles. This car was converted to propane before I bought it I thought that it would be good for the inviroment but the car gets less than ten miles per gallon.The car rides ruff i feel every bump on the highway and theres a whole lot in missouri. Another problem with the car is that there are no ash trays.

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  Journey Problems - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By John - September 6 - 3:13 am

  After the first 3 months of having my journey, it started having nothing but problems. It uses quart of oil every oil change. Transmission problems already, components falling apart or not working now, when filling up with gas it stinks inside it, no matter if u fill it up or put a couple gallons in. The antenna fall off when driving down the road. Which is not covered under warranty. After buying this, I would not refer this vehicle to anyone. Let alone purchase another chrysler/dodge vehicle again. Very unreliable and quality is very poor.

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  BUYER BEWARE! - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By NO MORE DODGES - August 26 - 2:00 am

  @ 869 miles "check engine" light went on. Downstream O2 sensor replaced at dealer. Lite on again @ 1450 miles & STILL ON! Told by service manager its a bug in computer software & Chrysler is aware of it & they will call when theres a fix. Good luck! Still have dead 93 Daytona I couldt sell w/leaking seals on rebuilt engine that was fixed 6 times (finally gave up)after original engine blew. Now ANOTHER Dodge w/ LITTLE RESALE $. Cant file lemon law since not fixed 4 times-just NOT! Beware-check NHTSA & CBS news for early balljoint failure! So much for a warranty.If u find u have a problem, its also easy for DMC to claim "its normal" or disregaurd your complaint.

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  AN EXPENSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By artbides - August 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought this 2001 Dakota used in January 2004. It has been back to the dealer, four times in the past 8 months for electrical problems. They replace the PCM, CTM, fuel pump and several other electrical items. I looked on the internet to see if anyone has had these same problems and found hundreds of people experienced the exact same problems with their Dakotas. You would think Dodge would replace these items for free because some many people have had problems but they havent. These electrical problems are serious and it has been very expensive. I will be getting rid of this truck soon.

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  I thought this was a nice car until - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Erica Ruckh - August 19 - 2:16 am

  I am a mother of a 18 month old boy. I have always driven a truck and didnt want to drive a mini van. I found that the Magnum had the fun look I wanted and a V8. So far since I have owned this car it has been a good car. I liked the way the car handles and the power. I also liked the comfort of the car. On February 17th 2006 I was driving at 5:30 in rush hour traffic with my baby and my transmission went out. Thank god I was not on the expressway. I do not drive this car hard at all and there should be no reason a new car should have transmission problems.

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  DO NOT BUY DODGE/CHRYSLER! - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By AliasdislikesDodge - August 18 - 10:00 am

  Had to buy a new engine at a price of $3,000.00 with no help from Chrysler or Dodge... They would not release parts to any other mechanic due to the "newness" of vehicle. You know, nothing of this magnitude should happen to such a new car... So we were forced to see dealership to fix. Constant alignment problems- the car has never driven smoothly. New fuel injection pump also... and now mechanical problems. Also hubcabs are rusted through- no protected finish originally. We are presently looking to purchase a new car and will more than likely take a loss due to all problems.

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  TURDMOBILE - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By smug1 - August 17 - 2:00 am

  This car is a TURD. . . Shakes Rattles & Rolls along the road. I bought it for basic trans for work. Paid 2K for it with 47K miles. Every two weeks I have to add 2-3 quarts of oil, its quite embarassing. Somehow this car manages to start & drive me at anytime anywhere. Ive driven this car hard for 8 months & 20K miles and Its been pretty reliable.