Most of us –close to 92%actually — own a car. This country is so car-centric that you have to do a lot of planning and research if you want (or have to) try it living without one. The good news is that modern cars are quite durable in general – today’s cars have an average lifespan of more than 16 years and closer to 160,000 miles, based on the cars that end up in scrapyards around the country. The bad news is that so much is required of a car regular maintenance and repairs – the average cost of car ownership is now over $1,000 per month.

Even with that maintenance, no car lasts forever—and there are usually signs that your car is about to go to that big junkyard in the sky. Some car problems are long-term problems that will have you limping from repair to repair for years, but eventually your car will develop a problem that indicates it will have a catastrophic problem and stop running altogether. If you see any of the following red flags while driving your car, it’s time to start making a plan for a new one, because your current ride is about to die.

You hear “rod knocking”

If you hear a loud knocking or popping noises when you start the car and it gets louder when you press the gas pedal you can suffer from rod tapping. This can be caused by insufficient oil (from a persistent leak or skipped oil changes) or worn belts, leading to worn rod bearings. Sure, your car is still moving, but rod knocking is a sign that your engine is about to shut up shop—possibly in dramatic fashion. Repairing the problem can cost up to $3,500, depending on the specific cause and how bad it has gotten.

The car shakes and vibrates

Has your car started shaking and vibrating every time you drive it? If you feel like you’re in trouble every time you drive to the grocery store and your steering wheel jerks under your hands, you should take it straight to the mechanic, because your car could be dying. Violent shaking is usually a sign of a engine ignition or transfer problem. Engine misfiring occurs when a cylinder in your engine does not ignite the gas properly and can be a significant repair depending on the exact cause. Transmission-related shaking can be caused by something as simple as low fluid levels, but can also indicate mechanical problems with the transmission itself – which can lead to $5,000 or more. Either way, if your car feels like it’s going to tear itself apart when you drive it, it’s about to stop moving altogether.

It stops when it shouldn’t

If you drive a car with an automatic transmission, it shouldn’t cubicle when you take your foot off the gas. If it does, it might not be a big problem – but it’s definitely a sign that your car is ready to quit on you. The causes could be your alternator, which generates the electricity your engine uses to run, clogged filters, a broken fuel pump, corroded spark plugs, or even just a faulty sensor. Even if your car is otherwise fine, don’t wait to be checked out. You never know when you will stop at a traffic light and not be able to start the car again.

The engine won’t stop running

The opposite of stalling is an overzealous engine that continues to run even after you turn off the ignition. a “collision“engine occurs when the fuel in the cylinders burns by itself due to ‘hot spots’. Even if the engine eventually shuts down, it is a sign of worse things to come because something is serious engine failure: You either have malfunctioning or faulty spark plugs, a damaged fuel injector, timing problems or serious carbon builds up in the cylinders – the latter is quite a problem if left unchecked, as it can lead to serious engine damage.

The frame of the car is rusty

You might think that a little rust on your car is no big deal — and that’s largely true if the rust is superficial. Even if rust has eaten away at your car’s roof and it leaks when it rains, the car is still drivable.

but “structural rust” is a much bigger concern. When your car’s frame starts to rust, it’s only a matter of time before your car gives out. If you’re not regularly under your car, you might not notice a rusty frame until it’s too late, but there are some warning signs that will tell you that your car is about to seriously fail due to rust:

• Bending or cracking in the body. If any of your car’s panels are warped, it could indicate that your car’s frame is weakened by rust.

• Rigid doors. If your car’s doors are difficult to open and close but your car has never had body damage (for example, from an accident), this could be a clue that rust is eating away at your vehicle.

• Hole. Have you looked under carpets on the floor recently? If there is a hole in your floor, your car has a serious rust problem.

There is visible (or smelling) smoke

Visible smoke of any kind coming out of your car is never a good sign, but some smoke scenarios present an emergency:

• Blue smoke. Smoke with a bluish tint usually means that oil is leaking into your engine and burning with the fuel. This is a very bad thing to happen to your car, and you need to get it checked out right away if you don’t want to experience Total Car Failure firsthand. It could be one blown head gasket allowing oil to enter the cylinders. Faulty head gaskets also allow pressure to flow back into the rest of the engine, causing even more problems.

• Sweet smoke. Is white smoke with one “sweet” smell that it is pouring out of your car? A broken head gasket can leak antifreeze into the engine, where it mixes with the fuel. If your engine also runs hot, that’s probably what’s happening.

If you suspect you’ve blown a head gasket, get it fixed right away. A blown head gasket can drive you $3,000 or more to repair.

Gears “slide” from one to another

If your automatic transmission starts grinding gears (shaking and making a lot of noise as it struggles to add the next gear) or starts “slips” from one gear to another while driving, it could be a sign that your transmission is about to fail. The fix may not be greater—The problem can be as small as low transmission oil, or a single worn part that can be easily replaced. But it could be a sign that your transmission is cooked, and the worst way to detect that fact is when your car suddenly stops moving on the highway.

The headlights dim unexpectedly

If you’re driving at night and notice that your headlights are suddenly dim—and getting dimmer—it could indicate a broken generator. The alternator generates power for the headlights and other lights in your car, and if it doesn’t generate enough power, those lights will dim and even turn off completely, even if the car continues to drive. If that happens to you, it’s only a matter of time before the alternator doesn’t generate enough power to run the car and it dies.

Excessive and mysterious leakage

This should be pretty obvious: If you notice a pool of leaking fluids under your car everywhere you park, you’re headed for engine failure. If you are at the point where you have oil, antifreeze and transmission fluid in the trunk and every trip starts with a top up, you may have loose or broken gaskets or loose drain plugs– and if these plugs or gaskets fail completely while you’re driving, the results can be catastrophic if the engine suddenly loses all lubrication and fluid pressure.

Your car is always telling you something – and if it’s something that’s about to die, you should listen.