is Disk Utility error -69842 hardware or directory?

Yes, I had R/W permissions during the weeks when I was writing to this drive. Now that it will not properly mount, I only have read permission, probably due to my use of some file recovery apps. This would allow me to remove files. But the drive cannot be used. Hence I need to decide whether to try repair or just return it. Hence my question

No, this is Mac OS extended. It is an old fashioned spinning hard drive. Various data recovery apps can make the files visible. I could therefore copy them to somewhere. But my question: Does the found error indicate that the drive itself would likely fail again, meaning that it should be replaced.

I should add that I asked this question of the Apple support chat hotline and the official answer was:

"I have confirmed with my Senior Advisor that we do not have access to specific error messages within Disk Utility. If the drive was not able to be repaired via the First Aid utility you will need to pursue options with the manufacturer of the drive, since that does indicate a hardware issue." So maybe the answer to my question is "hardware" rather than "directory" and I should replace the drive; to have it recovered or reformatted would not be good in the long run if there is a hardware problem. But it would be nice to learn just what -69842 really says to those in the know.