Disk Utility suddenly showing my HD in red

Hi all,
I was using Disk Utility over the past couple of days to look at a couple of external drives. Then, late yesterday DU suddenly started displaying my HD description (over in the left hand column) in red. Selecting it, the main window says DU says this disk has hardward problems that can't be repaired and to get it replaced. Down below the main window where it has the basic stats, it says in red "Failing"
I just thought I'd ask whether anyone has experienced this "alert" status before and if it can be trusted. I know that seems like an odd question to ask but it's simply that, like many, I've experienced mixed messages from software that isn't necessarily correct and can be caused by something else.
I had a lot of hardware replaced about 9 months ago, including the hard drive. That's another reason I'm scratching my head. I'm all backed up (Time Machine) so I feel confident about my data. I guess I don't relish the idea of having to haul my iMac 7,1 to the Apple Store. Of course, I will but . . .
. . . Any thoughts?
(My unit IS taking a longer time to boot up--30 seconds grey screen with twirling wheel, long blue screen . . . .)
Thanks so much.

Thank you, a.
Yes, the whole repair episode last year was nightmarish. I had to get Apple Support by phone involved. He looked at the repair docs online and commented that it was a very sloppily done job.
I've made an appt with Genius Bar for tomorrow.
Thanks for your confirmation. It's nice to be able to get the opinion of a community member.

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