Just to let other Passat owners know in case it happens to you...

Yesterday I pulled up to a roundabout, went to pull away and the accelerator pedal had almost jammed, it wouldn't open more than about 1/8th of it's travel and felt like it was going to snap !

I limped over to the other side of the roundabout and pulled into a lay-by. When I stuck my head in the footwell I pressed the accelerator by hand a few times with the engine off, there was a loud click and out popped a small stone about the size of a pea from the hinge mechanism. After that everything worked fine.

I was quite surprised how small the stone was, and how such a small stone could affect the operating of such an important component of the car !

The organ pedal type accelerator pedals that VW, and many other manufacturers are fitting these days would seem to be very susceptable to this type of problem by nature of their design. (ie; any debris on your shoes will naturally fall into the hinge mechanism by virtue of gravity!)

So be warned, it really is a good idea to wipe your feet before you get into the car, not just for the sake of your mats !