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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  wtf - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Moparmission - March 12 - 10:00 am

  after 1 month and 900 babied miles it has already been to the shop. the engine started maken some loud knockin or some crap and siezed.(girlfriend driving), mechanic said spun rod bearing and blown head gasket or some other crap. its now waiting for new engine. also they are going to fix the stereo cutting out. the car hasnt even seen redline yet. guy at dealership had attitude like i had been racing, even though its putting money in his pocket.

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  Lemon. - 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By navywife06 - March 6 - 4:11 pm

  We purchased our Dodge Grand Caravan Crew on May 22 (the day before my husband left for Iraq). We have barely had it 2 months and for the last 7 days it has been in the shop (second time since we purchased it). *Check engine light came on at aprx 1500/2000 miles *Traction control light comes on for no reason, even when just starting the vehicle *The ignition gets "stuck" when you stop turning the key, it keeps trying to start *The gas pedal quit responding to me while driving with my 3 children on the interstate- very DANGEROUS *My son got stuck in the rear seat belt and it wouldnt unlock- had to cut him out *Not important but if you have kids (minivan usually = kids) interior color is bad

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  Decent, but unreliable - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Familyman - March 6 - 1:25 pm

  We purchased this car to provide room for our growing family. It was a good price and offered decent features. However, in one year, the car was in the shop three different times to fix problems with sensors and the transmission. It is unreliable and beware the time when your warranty runs out. Im afraid we will have to dig into our pockets too much before it is paid off. My suggestion, find a minivan that has proven reliability.

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  Very Disappointed - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By Very Disappointed - March 4 - 4:58 am

  I have had numerous problems since I bought this vehicle 6 years ago: the paint discolored on the hood and trunk twice the interior light works only when it wants to the break lights stayed on continuously the turn signal broke twice major head gasket leak: the dealer said the factory was offering a $100 deductable because it was an ongoing problem with this vehicle. No problems yet w/the new headgasketAC has gone bad 5 times now.

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  WORST CAR EVER MADE? - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By avoidneon - March 3 - 11:45 pm

  I bought a Neon new in 1994. This was the worst car I ever owned, with dozens of problems, like 4 replaced engine computers, loose exhaust, clunking suspension, leaking window seals (window are frameless, beware!), bad brakes, electrical probelms, etc, etc, etc. I sold this car at a significant loss in 1998, but I would have paid someone to take it off my hands.

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  Brand New Junk - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By geri - February 27 - 11:36 am

  What an embarrassment. I really got took on this and now that I want to trade it in, I find out that its not worth anything. The seat broke, the mirror cover broke. You cant breath on the seats without staining them. I have never hated a car like I do this one and I had a Chevette once. The Chevette had more power. Need I say more?

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  Transmissions and A/C are expensive! - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By IWantAHonda - February 18 - 10:00 am

  I love the ride...but WOW the Transmissions and A/C and random electrical gremlins are killing my bank account. Dodge cant be making money on the Transimissions because they cant seem to make them last through the 2nd and 3rd transmission warranty unless the Dealer tries to say you "abused" the car...

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  Changed mileage estimate - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Dave - February 12 - 12:06 pm

  It came down to a Caliber or Focus. I bought the Caliber because it claimed 26/30mpg and looked more comfortable. Big mistake. On a recent cross country trip I averaged 25.1 mpg. It ruined the whole trip. I spent more than budgeted for gas. As if this wasnt bad enough, when I returned home I wrote to the local dealership and DiamlerChrysler HQ to report my opinion. That was over 2 weeks ago, and as of yet I have not heard from either. I had a PT with the same engine and averaged almost 28 mpg over the time I had it. Should have kept it. It may have been the one exception to the rule, but it worked. My Caliber may be the bad apple, but it still stinks. The failure of Dodge to reply also stinks

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  Dont Waste your money - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Darla - February 11 - 8:06 am

  This is the worst car i have ever bought. After 20,000 miles i have had to replace the brakes. I took it into the dealership today because the check engine light came and I need to have the breaks done again. The seats stain like crazy. This is not a good car for little kids. My son spilled a soda in the seat and now it is stained and i cant get it out. I definitely dont recommend this car.

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  Dont make the same mistake! - 1991 Dodge Caravan
  By johnnymac - February 4 - 5:51 pm

  Stay away from these vehicles. 2 known issues - after around 80,000 miles a problem with the valve guides develops requiring the engine to be rebuilt. Next time youre at a stop light near a Chrysler vehicle, watch for a puff of smoke as the vehicle takes off. The paint will come off in sheets on some vehicles due to the use of an inferior primer called Uniprime that breaks down from UV rays. If you pay attention, youll see a lot of Chrysler white vans with paint peeling in spots.