Toyota recall: Another Coloradan files class action suit, seeks cash for bad floormats

Toyota continues to put out advertisements intended to make up for their bad batches of cars. But the company's efforts appear to be doing little to slow the stream of angry Toyota owners, especially around here.

Case in point: Wayne Harris of Aspen filed a class-action lawsuit against the company Monday -- the second from Colorado. But it's probably not what you might think. He's not gunning for money because of the dangerous acceleration malfunctions reported on several of the models; he's got beef with the actual floor mats.

It looks like the expensive apology (below) isn't doing the trick ...

The class-action suit filed earlier this month by Lakewood's Ryan Scharrel focused more on the dangers Toyota owners faced when their cars sped up on their own.

That filing came before the commercials and public apologies. It looks like when it comes to people's lives and their wheels, dollars speak louder than words.

And things are only looking worse for Toyota outside the state. Today, for instance, the New York Times reports that the Obama administration is flirting with the idea of requiring that all new cars in the U.S. have brake override systems, in response to the alleged deaths associated with the twitchy Toyotas.

Anyone who has ever looked into buying a new car knows that, a lot of the time, the car is only as good as its warranty. But in his lawsuit, Harris says it works the other way around in this case. Because Toyota, in its buildup to the recall of millions of models, told consumers to toss their floor mats, Harris wants relief not only for his recalled 2005 Tacoma, but also for the faulty floor mats, which the suit says represents a breach in the car's warranty to consumers.

The court documents don't include an exact amount of damages sought for the floor mats, but because of the nature of class action suits, it must exceed at least $5 million.

The models listed in Harris's suit are:

• 2007-2010 Camry;
• 2005-2010 Avalon;
• 2004-2009 Prius;
• 2005-2010 Tacoma;
• 2007-2010 Tundra;
• 2007-2010 Lexus ES350;
• 2006-2010 IS250/IS350 2009

If you want cash back for your Toyota floor mats, call law firm Wright and LaSalle. However, if you like the floor mats but still want some dough, you may want to check out the Scharrel suit, filed by Burg, Simpson, Eldredge, Hersh and Jardine. The latter lists the following models:

• 2007-2010 Camry;
• 2005-2010 Avalon;
• 2004-2009 Prius;
• 2005-2010 Tacoma;
• 2007-2010 Tundra;
• 2007-2010 Lexus ES350;
• 2006-2010 IS250/IS350 2009;
• 2008-2010 Highlander;
• 2009-2010 Corolla;
• 2009-2010 Venza;
• 2009-2010 Matrix;
• 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe;
• 2010 Toyota RAV4;
• 2008-2010 Toyota Sequoia