A federal judge has tentatively ordered General Motors Co. to share documents it provided to Congress and government agencies with plaintiffs lawyers suing over its ignition-switch recalls.

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman, overseeing more than 100 lawsuits coordinated for pretrial purposes in the Southern District of New York, gave the green light to limited discovery on Thursday, despite a pending decision on motions GM filed to bar most of the cases in light of its 2009 bankruptcy.