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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  mighty mopar - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By mike ramone - August 13 - 2:00 am

  bought my dodge in december 1998..we found out quickly that the heating system is excellent.we have approx 82kms currently.ride is fair, starting to get all sorts of suspension creaks.have the usual head gskt and trans cooler lines leaking(im an auto mechanic so i can fix them myself) what is dissapointing is the brake system.we have put on approx 70kms in less than 5years,& im on the 4th set of brake pads!!! other than that its a pretty good car

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  Frustrating vehicle - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Craig Kiesel - August 13 - 2:00 am

  Bought the Durango for its looks, interior room, and power for towing my boat. Did not count on spending lots of money on repairs which still have not been solved. I have owned this vehicle for 10 months and have had to fix or repair the a/c, rear passenger window, clean fuel injectors and throttle body, tune up, rebuild the tranny, and the still unresolved surge in power when at cruising speed. Very frustrating. Two different dealerships on three different visits have not been able solve this problem. Cannot wait to get rid of this yehicle!

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  STAY AWAY - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By 95neonsport - August 11 - 2:00 am

  The dodge neon was designed to be a cheap car and it is. I have paid for the thing numerous times in repairs, and I find it spending more time on jack stands than on the road. Unfortunately I have learned alot about cars since I could never keep this thing running. If you were to consider a neon I would say at least 2000 or new, that is when Dodge finally got their act together. Overall this car is garbage and I would never recommend this thing to anyone unless you want lots of mechanical experience.

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  It does its job - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By cicerosum - August 7 - 3:50 pm

  Gets us from point A to point B. Sits 7 of us uncomfortably. Big pain in the rear to remove seats all the time when you need to make more room. Transmission (as usual, it seems) needed to be replaced at about 90k miles. Completely replaced. Mine has lots of nice extras that I like. Temperature, average gas mileage, etc. in the overhead dash. I might buy another Dodge if the tranny problem was solved, I like the new ones.

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  Maintenence Woes - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Mishel - August 1 - 2:00 am

  I adored my Durango and stood my ground when my father tried to tell me it was poorly built. I have seen the light, Dad is ALWAYS right! It is 5 years old now(and I am still paying payments!), and goes in the shop an average of once a month. If I get it out for less than $500, I am delighted. I replaced the transfer case($3000), speed sensors(3X $300), power window motors, water pump, radiator thermostat, etc, not to mention the typical expected things. Have I mentioned I am on my 4th serpentine belt? I was told they should last 3 years! I think the mechanic has the truck more than I do Anyway, they look good, but Ill never buy another one!

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  Computer malfunction - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By suQ - July 31 - 2:00 am

  Within a week of owning the truck, I noticed the automatic was shifting "funny". Around 40-50 mph there was "missing" after shifting into the higher gear. (could put the pedal to the floor and no increased power)It went back to the dealer, in the shop for nearly two weeks. Results were Dodge had a computer problem, no idea when it could be fixed. Dealer admitted several other V-6s on the lot had the same problem. No help from the manufactuer. Went to trade it in on a V- 8, dealer tried to make us take a hit of $4,200 negative equity for truck we had less than 3 weeks.(with two weeks in the shop) They put the defective truck back on the lot and sold it!

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  Ok car, not without its faults - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By Tleasy - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Front seats are not very comfortable. Not recommended for long trips. History of trouble with heads on motor. Common problem at around 60,000 miles to have heads warp. Can cause extensive motor damage if not checked regularly.

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  my mistake - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By feather - July 24 - 2:00 am

  This car drives so fine. Excellent sound system. But it is much to small. Seat hurts my back and I tried to return it before 24 hours or get another model it bothered my back so badly but the dealer would not let me exchange for another car or return it,

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  Red Lemon - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Rick - July 12 - 8:20 am

  I like the stow and go and the power side doors, thats about it. The van has been nothing but trouble since the warranties have run out, even tho they werent much help when they were in effect. At 32,000 miles the front brake on the passenger side ruined the rotor. Ive replaced both outer tie rods, both rear bearing assemblies, the EGR is failing, and my ABS sensors in the rear have both failed. There is an electrical gremlin which dims lights, causes the power accessories to quit, and left me windshield wiperless during a downpour. Wipers started working when the rain stopped. Dash has went dead on 3 occasions, tilt wheel malfunctioned, many more little things. Will never buy another.

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  Be careful!!!!! - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By rawolfee - July 9 - 2:00 am

  If you are going to buy this car, make sure it was well maintained. The standard 2.7L engine that comes with the car, will eventually fail if the oil is not changed religiously every 3000 miles. If you dont believe me, do a search on the interenet for 2.7L engine failure, youll be amazed at how many people, myself included, have had major engine failure at low miles. It happened to us at just over 70k. Its going to cost us $6000 to get a new engine, becuase they are in such high demand. That fact alone should tell you something. The engine failure will happen with little. BE CAREFULL or you might end up with an expensive lawn ornament!!!!