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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  What a dog!! - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By stuart brown - September 6 - 2:00 am

  I rectently purchased a 6 cylinder quad cab. Do not ever buy that engine. It has no power when going into a 20 mph wind on the interstate. I heard a big sucking sound. It was my gas leaving my tank. I would never again buy this vehicle.

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  Never Again - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By frankli1 - September 4 - 2:00 am

  This is probably the worse vehicle Ive ever owned!!! The rotors have been replaced 3 times.The steering pump, belt tensioner,water pump,both O2 sensors,coil and an assortment of less serious parts have all been replaced, mostly at my expense. Dodge refused to warranty anything after 36000 miles. I will never again buy a Dodge product no matter how good looking.

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  Dont give Chrysler any more money - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By hannabach - September 3 - 2:00 am

  This car is not for the faint of wallet. Ive spent appx. $3000 annually during the last three years of owning this car. Ive replaced the transmission, all four O2 sensors, ignition wires, spark plugs ($70 each time), and many other major repairs. I have friends who joke about my Check Engine light. I realize not every car is a lemon, but I believe buying this model is risky for anyone. Now who wants to buy mine?

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  Not as good as 2001 Model - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By JOE Q - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Just bought a new 2003 and traded in a 2001. Both were SE vans. The 2003 seems to be of lower quality and some of the nice features of the 2001 were removed/no availible in the 2003 model. For instance, 2001 van had external key locks on the back sliders whereas 2003 does not. 2001 SE had a locking drawer under the passenger side seat, 2003 does not. Seats in the 2003 van do not seem as well made and the 2003 van seems more noisy than the 2001. Seems dodge chose to cut corners on the 2003 model to keep the price low. I cant help but wonder what other corners were cut in the building of this van.

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  never buy again - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By bad dodge - August 30 - 2:00 am

  i bought the truck with the oem trailer group and severe service group. for what the truck is rated to tow it does not live up the its standards by any means. the fact that my fender flares are falling off as well does not help. the truck has only 8990 miles on it. second why is it that my trucks value is falling faster then i can pay it off? i bought every option on it but when it comes to trade it in none that seems to matter. = by the way it is a automatic

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  Problem Vehicle - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Sue Able - August 27 - 10:00 am

  Nice looking SUV but we are having Airconditioning problems and Chyrsler nor the dealing can fix it. If you live in Alaska your okay but if you need air get some other SUV.

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  1993 Intrepid ES - 1993 Dodge Intrepid
  By scrutinizer - August 27 - 2:00 am

  Not reliable and expensive to repair. Steer clear!

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  Durango about a little below par - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By MissTxRedHead - August 27 - 2:00 am

  The unit has great power and it has held up decently, but things like windows not working and the power door locks failing bug the crap outta me.

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  Please dont buy - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Stephanie Medlin - August 25 - 11:50 pm

  I bought this van brand new. We purchased an extended warranty also. I have had continuous problems starting at about 18,000 with stalling. I had to take it in over 6 times only to be told nothing is registering on the computer. After the 6th time, the fuel pump was replaced. Now, again, we are having stalling problems only to be told nothing is registering and it cant be duplicated. Gas mileage horrible. It also: has problems with front brakes, grinding sound turning and reverse, a loud noise on hard right turns. And, nothing is wrong with any of these items according to the dealerships. Huge safety hazard

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  $675 TO REPLACE ALTERNATOR & BATTERY?!?! - 1996 Dodge Stratus
  By CATAJE - August 25 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car w/ 44,000 miles on it In 01/2000 I loved this little car, summer of 01 had to replace A/C parts, $635.00, have had replace about 4 relays switch, $50. Dec 02 car had 92,000 miles on it, waterpump went out, $600.00 to fix, june 03 Alternator and battery replaced, $675!!!! $300 tune up!! This car is so expensive to work on!! It is too expensive for me to keep, all this $ into it, and it now needs a Fuel pump, God only knows what that will cost.... Sitting in driveway waiting to get be gotten rid of!!!! I am scared to death to drive it, it seems to cost me about $600 everytime Ive touched it in the last couple of years