Italian luxury car maker Maserati is recalling nearly 21,000 cars in China over a design defect that could increase the risk of a collision, BBC News reports.

The affected vehicles include the Quattroporte and Ghibli models made between March 2013 and December 2015, state-owned media said.

China's quality watchdog claims a design problem with the floor mat and accelerator could lead to the pedal getting stuck in the working position.

Maserati will replace the pedals, BBC says.

Maserati launched its flagship store on Alibaba's online shopping site Tmall last week, listing 100 of its new SUV Levantes for advance sale.

They reportedly sold out in 18 seconds. The car is due to officially launch in China in July, according to BBC.