"Hill Stopper" Clutch

[DK]

And my daughter's Forester (2004) has "hill holder" also!

And my old Subaru GL had it, my 1993 Subaru Impreza has it, but
my wife's Forester 2002 does NOT. Go figure.

DK

 

[Grolch]

My 86 GL had it, My 90 Legacy has it and my 04 Forester has it.
It's a valve set up that holds the brake fluid pressure in the system when
on inclines if the clutch is depressed, and releases the pressure when you
engage the clutch.
The 86 had to have the valve replaced (scrap yard) at about 230,000km. It
still worked but developed a leak.

 

[chezgreenwald]

Your mother was absolutely correct. The hill stopper was a great selling
point in the days when many people still wanted a stick shift.