A Nio driver has reported that the throttle pedal of her ES6 crossover broke off while driving last week. The owner posted a complaint with pictures of the broken pedal on Nio’s app, saying she felt “speechless” when it happened. Ma Lin, Nio’s public relations director, responded on Thursday in a Weibo post. Ma said the pedal might have broken off because it was hit by a strong sideways force, adding that the pedal is designed to break in such a scenario “so it doesn’t affect the car’s sensors,” and to protect drivers’ safety. The company is looking into the case, Ma added. The Nio driver’s post has since been deleted. [Weibo, in Chinese]