My drill makes a grinding or ratcheting noise when I stop drilling. Is something broken?

That grinding or ratcheting sound is usually your drill's clutch activating. This is a safety feature designed to stop the bit when a set torque is reached, preventing stripped screws or twisted wrists if the bit binds. Check the torque setting ring behind the chuck; if it's on a low number, the clutch engages easily. If you're on the "drill" setting (bypassing the clutch) and it still happens without the bit binding, then you might have an internal gearbox issue. For consumer-grade drills, replacement is often more cost-effective than professional repair for gearbox problems.