Asking a judge to enforce part of a restructuring happens in many bankruptcy cases. But in this situation, some bankruptcy experts say, it may be a risky move. Objections have poured into the court from plaintiffs in cases around the country, alleging that the company committed fraud during the bankruptcy proceedings five years ago by not disclosing the potential liabilities from the faulty switch, a problem it now admits was known in parts of the company for more than a decade before the recall.

“I think it’s a gamble from G.M.’s perspective,” said David A. Skeel, a bankruptcy specialist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and the author of “Debt’s Dominion: A History of Bankruptcy Law in America.” “If I were the judge, I would not give them a carte blanche and say this litigation has got to stop. I suspect the response will be more nuanced than that.”

In fact, he and others say, the otherwise routine motion could potentially end up leading to a mini-trial of sorts, on whether or not fraud was committed. If that happens, Mr. Skeel said: “In a way, it’s we’re redoing the bankruptcy. It’s quite possible this trial could be a larger event than the real bankruptcy.”

If allegations of fraud become a focus, the proceedings could go a long way toward answering a question that two congressional investigations, countless news reports and other inquiries have not been able to ascertain so far — how high up in the company did the knowledge of the switch defect go? G.M. has largely declined to make employees available for questioning and has continually cited its own internal investigation.

The two lead lawyers representing G.M. in its motion to enforce the bankruptcy order did not return phone calls. But outside lawyers say the company may still have the upper hand. There is a generally accepted feeling that judges do not like to tamper with sales or restructuring plans and that the greater economic good of this one — which has been credited not only with saving the company, but also preventing the American economy from sinking deeper into recession — may be paramount.