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Remembering The 25 Worst Cars Dodge Ever Made

Cameron Eittreim October 5, 2021

15: Dodge Aries

The Aries was a shabby little car that didn’t know which way it was going. Its design was lightweight and cheap. The Aries was going for a premium look and feel, but the end result was anything but that. The Aries drove like a shoebox, and dealerships had trouble selling the car (via Car Gurus).

Its performance was lackluster at best and the car would spend more time in the shop than on the road. From a design standpoint, the Aries was a shot in the dark for Dodge, and it didn’t fare that well. The brand would not have a true success until the 1990s with the Intrepid and the Stratus.

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14: Dodge Caliber

The Caliber was a letdown Dodge released to replace the Neon. Why the company would go for a hatchback as the only model is a mystery. Buyers didn’t flock toward the Caliber at all. The design was lackluster and cheap-feeling with plenty of hard plastics. The worst thing about the Caliber was that it shared a design with the Jeep Compass (via Car Fax).

Overall, there are few compact cars that have sold as bad as the Caliber did. The design was a nightmare to look at. In the grand scheme of things, Chrysler could have done better with the Dodge brand. But instead, drivers were ‘gifted’ with the obscene-looking caliber and its interestingly faulty design.

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13: Dodge Dart

Surprisingly, the Dart is a brand name that you hear often. But we aren’t talking about the classic Dart, we’re talking about the failure from 2015. Dodge released a Dart model to much avail only to have it fall flat on its face. It was said Chrysler spent over a billion dollars on the Dart and the Chrysler 200, but consumer tastes had shifted (via Car and Driver).

The Dart was not an appealing buy to new car shoppers anymore. The performance wasn’t quite there, and the transmission was problematic at best. Dodge cars weren’t as reliable as they once were, and that was a problem.

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2008 Dodge Durango - Dodge — Photo Credit: Car Domain

12: 2004 Dodge Durango

When the Durango was redesigned for 2004, there was a lot of hoopla around it. The previous Durango was a groundbreaking SUV. It was the first midsize SUV with a V8 engine and three-row seating. Sadly, the Durango drivers got was lacking in every possible way. The design was a mixture of bug eyes and bulges that didn’t resonate with buyers (via Cars.com).

There was the addition of a Hemi V8, which was a nice touch, to say the least. But the lack of design credentials took away from it. The Durango would get a small redesign in 2008 that smoothed things out a bit. Yet by that point in time, the SUV market had tanked and buyers were looking for something else.

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11: Dodge Journey

The Journey was a CUV released by the Dodge brand in 2008. The problem was that Dodge has been using the same design for over a decade without changing things up. Overall, the Journey was terrible and cheaply designed. The power plant was lackluster at best, and the interior seating space was limited, to say the least (via Car and Driver).

The Journey did come in some unique trim options later down the road. But for the most part, the Journey fell flat in many areas. Consumers simply weren’t feeling the design of the Journey, and it showed.

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10: Dodge Colt

The Colt was created in partnership with Mitsubishi, and it was a carbon copy of their Colt. The car didn’t have anything unique to offer. The compact design was a departure from the norm for Dodge. The brand hopes to appeal to compact car buyers who would otherwise frequent Toyota and Honda showrooms (via Car Gurus).

The Colt was underpowered, and the design of the car was cheap. There was nothing remotely appealing about the Colt. Most car shoppers went the other way and sought out other competitors. You will seldom see a Colt on the road anymore, and that is because most of them ended up rusting away.

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9: Dodge Daytona

The Daytona was different than other sports cars from this era. Dodge already sold the Stealth, but they needed a cheaper offering. The Daytona had many different incarnations over its production run. Perhaps the most appealing were the Shelby and IROC models (via Automobile Catalog).

GM had given up the naming rights for the IROC at the start of the 1990s, and Dodge scooped it up. Other than that, though the Daytona was an inexpensive car, there wasn’t much in the way of unique to make it stand out. The Daytona had a common design, and that was only magnified by the fact it was vastly underpowered.

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8: Dodge Shadow

The compact Shadow was another excuse for the company to try and put out a compact. Based on the K-Car platform, the Shadow was a shorter wheelbase version of what was already there. Aside from that, the Shadow was lacking in quality, and that was its downfall. The interior was reduced with plenty of cheap parts (via All Par).

The performance was lethargic at best and the lower-end models were unreliable. The Shadow was a small car, and you could tell just by looking at it. There was a rare Shelby model that stood out from the crowd, yet that was about it.

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7: Dodge Avenger

Dodge had a lot of two-doors during the 1990s, and the Avenger was one of them. Based on the Chrysler Sebring, the Avenger had many unique features. Most notable was the interestingly designed body, which didn’t look like anything else. But when it came down to the performance, the Avenger was nothing special (via KBB).

In fact, the car was nothing more than a Sebring coupe with a Dodge grill. Which meant you were paying a premium for something that essentially looked sporty, and that was it. The Avenger was every bit a letdown, like many Chrysler products were around this time. The brand was later revived with a new Avenger sedan.

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6: 1990 Dodge Monaco

There was a time when Dodge sold a lot of obscure-looking cars. The Monaco was one of these cars. This sedan was released from 90-92 as a stop-gap until the Intrepid hit dealership lots. The problem is Monaco didn’t fare well in terms of sales, and there were many more appealing cars on the road (via Edmunds).

It did have a unique look and spacious interior, but that was about it. Everywhere else, the car suffered from a lack of quality. To this day, Monaco is seldom seen on roads anymore. The build quality wasn’t good enough, and the design was ridiculous when you compare it to other models.

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5: Dodge Dynasty

The Dynasty was a square-bodied sedan that didn’t look like anything else on the road. There is a good reason for that, as Chrysler was trying to appeal to luxury shoppers. The problem is that the Dynastic was not the luxury car that most hoped for. In fact, the Dynastic was undersized when compared to the competition (via Consumer Guide).

It also didn’t help things out that Chrysler sold a carbon clone of the car. The Dynasty seemed to sell well initially, but things tapered off once buyers knew of the car. There were much better options drivers could purchase for a lot less money.

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4: Dodge Stratus

The Stratus was the replacement for the Spirit, and it was better in every way. Chrysler had moved onto a modern design, which was an important step for the nameplate. But the Stratus still fell short in many areas, most notably the reliability. The Stratus was not the most reliable car, and repairs were expensive (via Repair Pal).

Dodge would attempt to supplement this with a redesign, but it never did revive the nameplate. In the eyes of consumers, the Stratus was merely a cheap domestic nameplate. The car was sold to rental fleets, and you’d see them everywhere. Surprisingly, there was a police-issued version of the Stratus that proved widespread in the South.

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3: Dodge Magnum

The Magnum was released after the Intrepid, and there was a lot of fanfare around it. Dodge was taking a gamble by releasing a wagon, but it proved well. Initially, the Magnum was a hot seller for the Dodge brand. Although things cooled off as time went on, the Magnum stopped selling (via Cars For Sale).

Still, the V8 power behind the Magnum was an interesting touch in 2005. Although most automakers had abandoned the idea of a wagon, Dodge decided to go all-in. The Magnum is a popular choice in the used car world because of the Hemi V8. The fun design is easy to build on, although one of the worst Dodges ever sold.

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Dodge Dakota Sport Convertible — Photo Credit: Hagerty

2: Dakota Convertible

The Dakota Convertible is the only truck ever made to look like this. We’re not sure what the folks at Dodge expected. Apparently, someone thought it would be a good idea to cut the roof off of a Dakota. The end result looked strange, and the sales for the thing were never enough to justify the project (via Hagerty).

Nowadays, the Dakota Convertible has become a rarity on the road. Drivers flock toward these for their attractive design. But you can find a better compact truck for the price and make it custom how you would like it. There were issues with the convertible top leaking and the questionable build quality in general.

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1: Dodge Intrepid R/T

Having a sport sedan is a fine thing, and they can be fun to drive. But when Dodge decided to sell the Dodge Intrepid R/T, it was a bit of a letdown. Released in partnership with NASCAR, the Intrepid R/T had a lot of fanfare behind it. Indeed, the end result was the attractive car, to say the least, but that was about it (via Car and Driver).

The Intrepid R/T didn’t have any performance upgrades, there was no V8. There was nothing different about the car, other than a rear decklid and a nicer set of wheels. Dodge did their fans dirty with this one, and as such, the sales were disappointing. The Intrepid R/T is truly a blemish in the otherwise storied reputation of Dodge.

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Remembering The 25 Worst Cars Dodge Ever Made

15: Dodge Aries

14: Dodge Caliber

13: Dodge Dart

12: 2004 Dodge Durango

11: Dodge Journey

10: Dodge Colt

9: Dodge Daytona

8: Dodge Shadow

7: Dodge Avenger

6: 1990 Dodge Monaco

5: Dodge Dynasty

4: Dodge Stratus

3: Dodge Magnum

2: Dakota Convertible

1: Dodge Intrepid R/T

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