2008 HUMMER H2 ESP

Automatic Transmission Operation
Your vehicle has a Hydra-Matic®6L80 automatic
transmission, and has an electronic shift position
indicator within the instrument panel cluster. This display
comes on when the ignition key is turned to the
ON/RUN position.
There are several different positions for the shift lever.
PARK (P):This position locks the rear wheels. It is the
best position to use when you start your engine
because your vehicle cannot move easily.
When parked on a hill, especially when the vehicle
has a heavy load, you may notice an increase in the
effort to shift out of PARK (P). See Torque Lock
(Automatic Transmission) underShifting Into PARK (P)
on page 2-41for more information.{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle will not move, even
when you are on fairly level ground, always set
your parking brake and move the shift lever
to PARK (P). SeeShifting Into PARK (P) on
page 2-41. If you are pulling a trailer, see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-55.
REVERSE (R):Use this gear to back up.
Notice:Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage the transmission.
The repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
2-32

How OnStar Service Works
Your vehicle’s OnStar system has the capability of
recording and transmitting vehicle information.
This information is automatically sent to an OnStar
Call Center at the time of an OnStar button press,
Emergency button press or if your airbags or AACN
system deploys. The vehicle information usually includes
your GPS location and, in the event of a crash,
additional information regarding the accident that your
vehicle has been involved in (e.g. the direction from
which your vehicle was hit). When you use the Virtual
Advisor feature of OnStar Hands-Free Calling, your
vehicle also sends OnStar your GPS location so that we
can provide you with location-based services.
OnStar service cannot work unless your vehicle is in a
place where OnStar has an agreement with a wireless
service provider for service in that area. OnStar
service also cannot work unless you are in a place
where the wireless service provider OnStar has hired for
that area has coverage, network capacity and reception
when the service is needed, and technology that is
compatible with the OnStar service. Not all services are
available everywhere, particularly in remote or
enclosed areas, or at all times.Location information about your vehicle is only available
if the GPS satellite signals are unobstructed and
available.
Your vehicle must have a working electrical system
(including adequate battery power) for the OnStar
equipment to operate. There are other problems OnStar
cannot control that may prevent OnStar from providing
OnStar service to you at any particular time or place.
Some examples are damage to important parts of your
vehicle in an accident, hills, tall buildings, tunnels,
weather or wireless phone network congestion.
Your Responsibility
Increase the radio volume if you cannot hear the OnStar
advisor. If the light next to the OnStar buttons is red,
this means that your system is not functioning properly
and should be checked by your dealer/retailer. If the
light appears clear (no light is appearing), your OnStar
subscription has expired. You can always press the
OnStar button to conrm that your OnStar equipment
is active.
2-56

Headlamps on Reminder
If a door is open, a reminder chime will sound when
your headlamps or parking lamps are manually turned
on and your key is out of the ignition. To turn off
the chime, turn the headlamp switch to off or AUTO
and then back on, or close and re-open the door.
In the AUTO mode, the headlamps turn off once the
ignition is in LOCK or may remain on until the headlamp
delay ends (if enabled in the DIC). See “Exit Lighting”
underDIC Vehicle Customization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 3-63.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving conditions,
but they can be especially helpful in the short periods
after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
rst sold in Canada.The DRL system will come on when the following
conditions are met:
The ignition is on.
The exterior lamps control is in AUTO.
The transmission is not in PARK (P).
The light sensor determines it is daytime.
When the DRL are on, only the DRL lamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker, and other lamps will not
be on. The instrument panel will not be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, the automatic headlamp
system will switch from DRL to the headlamps.
To turn off the DRL lamps, turn the exterior lamps
control to the OFF position and then release.
For vehicles rst sold in Canada, the transmission
must be in the PARK (P) position, before the
DRL lamps can be turned off.
3-17

Trip Odometer
Press the trip odometer reset stem until TRIP displays.
This display shows the current distance traveled in
either miles (mi) or kilometers (km) since the last reset
for the trip odometer.
The trip odometer can be reset to zero by pressing
and holding the trip odometer reset stem while the
trip odometer is displayed.
The trip odometer has a feature called the retro-active
reset. This can be used to set the trip odometer to
the number of miles (kilometers) driven since the
ignition was last turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the beginning of the trip.
To use the retro-active reset feature, press and hold
the trip odometer reset stem for at least four seconds.
The trip odometer will display the number of miles (mi)
or kilometers (km) driven since the ignition was last
turned on and the vehicle was moving. Once the
vehicle begins moving, the trip odometer will accumulate
mileage. For example, if the vehicle was driven
5 miles (8 km) before it is started again, and then
the retro-active reset feature is activated, the display
will show 5 miles (8 km). As the vehicle begins moving,
the display will then increase to 5.1 miles (8.2 km),
5.2 miles (8.4 km), etc.
Language
This display allows you to select the language in which
the DIC messages will appear. To select a language:
1. Press the trip odometer reset stem until
ODOMETER displays.
2. While in the ODOMETER display, press and hold
the trip odometer reset stem for three seconds until
the currently set language displays.
3. Continue to press and hold the trip odometer reset
stem to scroll through all of the available languages.
The available languages are ENGLISH (default),
FRANCAIS (French), ESPANOL (Spanish),
and NO CHANGE.
4. Once the desired language is displayed, release
the trip odometer reset stem to set your choice.
3-55

Feature Settings Menu Items
The following are customization features that allow you
to program settings to the vehicle:
DISPLAY IN ENGLISH
This feature will only display if a language other than
English has been set. This feature allows you to change
the language in which the DIC messages appear to
English.
Press the customization button until the PRESS
VTO
DISPLAY IN ENGLISH screen appears on the DIC
display. Press the set/reset button once to display all
DIC messages in English.
DISPLAY LANGUAGE
This feature allows you to select the language in which
the DIC messages will appear.
Press the customization button until the DISPLAY
LANGUAGE screen appears on the DIC display.
Press the set/reset button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the customization button
to scroll through the following settings:
ENGLISH (default):All messages will appear in
English.
FRANCAIS:All messages will appear in French.
ESPANOL:All messages will appear in Spanish.
NO CHANGE:No change will be made to this feature.
The current setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/reset button while the
desired setting is displayed on the DIC.
You can also change the language by pressing the
trip odometer reset stem. See “Language” under DIC
Operation and Displays (Without DIC Buttons) earlier
in this section for more information.
3-64

If your vehicle has the navigation system, press and hold
this button for longer than one second to initiate voice
recognition. See “Voice Recognition” in the Navigation
System manual for more information.
If your vehicle has OnStar
®, press and hold this button
for longer than one second to interact with the OnStar®
system. If your vehicle also has the navigation system,
press and hold this button for longer than one second
to initiate voice recognition and say “OnStar” to enter
OnStar
®mode. See theOnStar®System on page 2-53
in this manual for more information.
SRCE (Source):Press this button to switch between
the radio (AM, FM), XM™ (if equipped), CD, and if your
vehicle has these features, DVD, front auxiliary, and
rear auxiliary.
+
e−e(Volume):Press the plus or minus volume
button to increase or to decrease the radio volume.
¨(Seek):Press the seek arrow to go to the next radio
station while in AM, FM, or XM™ (if equipped). Press
the seek arrow to go to the next track or chapter while
sourced to the CD or DVD slot. Press the seek arrow to
go to the next disc while sourced to a CD player, if
multiple discs are loaded.
Radio Reception
Frequency interference and static can occur during
normal radio reception if items such as cell phone
chargers, vehicle convenience accessories, and external
electronic devices are plugged into the accessory power
outlet. If there is interference or static, unplug the item
from the accessory power outlet.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range can cause station
frequencies to interfere with each other. For better radio
reception, most AM radio stations boost the power levels
during the day, and then reduce these levels during the
night. Static can also occur when things like storms and
power lines interfere with radio reception. When this
happens, try reducing the treble on your radio.
FM Stereo
FM stereo gives the best sound, but FM signals only
reach about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall buildings
or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing the
sound to fade in and out.
3-117

For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been drinking — driver
or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if
the person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator.
At times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask
more of those control systems than the tires and road can
provide. Meaning, you can lose control of your vehicle.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on page 4-5.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-38.
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake
pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to bring
up your foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement
or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is
wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake force
applied.
4-3

Remember: ABS does not change the time you need to
get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle
in front of you, you will not have time to apply the brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you
have ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
rmly and let antilock work for you. You might feel the
brakes vibrate or notice some noise, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With ABS, you can steer and brake at the same time.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle has a Traction Control System (TCS) that
limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only if it senses
that any of the wheels are spinning or beginning to lose
traction. When this happens, the system applies the
brakes to limit wheel spin and also reduces engine
power. You may feel or hear the system working, but
this is normal.TCS may operate on dry roads under some conditions.
When this happens, you may notice a reduction in
acceleration or a pumping sound. This is normal and
does not mean there’s a problem with your vehicle.
Examples of these conditions include hard acceleration
in a turn, an abrupt upshift or downshift of the
transmission or driving on rough roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the TCS begins
to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically
disengage. When road conditions allow you to safely
use it again, you may re-engage the cruise control.
SeeCruise Control on page 3-12.
If your vehicle has a Driver information Center (DIC),
a SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL message will appear
when a Traction Control System or Antilock Brake
System problem has been detected and the vehicle
needs service. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-56.
When this message is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel
spin, especially in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on. But you can turn the
traction control system off if you ever need to.
4-5