My cordless circular saw keeps stalling mid-cut - any ideas?

Hey everyone, having a weird issue with my Ryobi cordless circular saw (18V brushless model). It starts fine but keeps stalling when I'm cutting through 2x4s - not even thick stuff! Battery shows full charge, blade is sharp (replaced it last month). It makes this kinda whining noise right before it dies. Tried different batteries, same problem. Anyone dealt with this before? Getting frustrated on my deck project!

Sarah, classic symptom! Had this with my Milwaukee Fuel last year. First - check if the blade is installed backwards (sounds dumb but happens more than you think). Second - that whining noise is usually the motor straining. Could be: 1) Bad brush contacts if it's not truly brushless (some "brushless" models still have contacts), 2) Sawdust packed in the motor housing (blow it out with compressed air), or 3) Worn bearings making the blade bind. Try cutting without pushing hard - let the saw do the work. If it still stalls, might be internal electronics failing.

HammerHank's on point with the sawdust thing - I've rescued three saws from the scrap pile just by deep cleaning. But also: check the battery contacts on the saw itself. Corrosion or gunk can cause voltage drops under load that don't show at idle. Clean with isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush. Also - are you using the right blade? Framing blade on 2x4s should be fine, but if someone put a fine-finish blade on there, it'll bind in wet wood. Lastly - Ryobi's warranty is decent if it's under 3 years old. Their service center fixed my drill for free when it had similar issues.

Thanks both! Blade's definitely on right (arrow pointing forward), and it's a 24T framing blade. Gonna try the cleaning tips tonight - didn't think about the battery contacts on the tool side. The saw is about 2 years old, so warranty might still work. If cleaning doesn't help, I'll reach out to Ryobi. Will update tomorrow after I try the compressed air trick!

One more thing Sarah - if it's still under warranty, DON'T open it up yourself. Ryobi will void warranty if they see tampering. Just clean externally and test. If it persists, warranty claim all the way. Let us know how it goes - curious if it's the contacts or something internal. Good luck with the deck!