Honda recalls 182,756 Civic sedans

Honda has announced the recall of 182,756 Civic sedans from the 2006 and 2007 model years in the U.S. The recall -- which is a rarity for Honda -- is due to a faulty wheel bearing that could cause the wheel to fall off. Honda maintains one of the lowest recall rates in the industry.

Earlier this year, a list of 2007's 14 most recalled models in the U.S. was released with not a single car from Honda listed. The details of the Civic recall didn't specify the number of vehicles recalled for each year, but if the list was re-released, Honda could now rank as high as 3rd for most recalled vehicles, trailing only Toyota and Volkswagen.

In a separate recall, Honda is recalling 19,904 2006 Civics for a brake light that could fail.

With Toyota -- and now Honda -- experiencing an increase in recalls, it appears as though the Japanese automakers are going through some serious growing pains associated with becoming so large -- the same that plagued American automakers in the past.

Toyota had more recalls in 2007 than all of the domestic automakers combined.