China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said it was notified by Toyota about the recall of 5,202 Lexus RX300 and Lexus RX350 models in China, the agency said in a statement. The vehicles were imported in 2003-2006.

If the carpet around the accelerator pedal is not properly installed, there is a possibility that the plastic pad embedded in the floor carpet may interfere with operation of the accelerator pedal and therefore poses risks to safety, according to a notice Toyota posted on its China Web site.

Toyota said the vehicle recalls it announced earlier last week in North America did not apply to vehicles sold in China. The models included in the recall are either not installed with the problematic parts or have never been imported to China through "official channels," the Japanese company said.

But the Chinese administration is not convinced. It quickly responded by requesting Toyota to provide a full explanation on why it decided not to recall the vehicles in China.