I have A 2023 XLT FX4 with 3000 miles on it making a similar noice before a couple of stops. I was getting ready to jack it up and look for something loose. Please keep us informed about how this turns out.
The truck suffered a total power failure not just a dead battery. I needed to shift to natural to push it out of the driveway to complete moving my son into his house. A tow truck showed up a few hours later to take it back to the dealer for repair.
Update:
Ended up jumping temporary power to the fuse box as recommended to shift the vehicle to neutral. I Read the owners manual before I sent my request for help from the board after I quickly realized it didn’t apply to the hybrid Maverick .
The vehicle was blocking the team moving my sons...
Very common to machine that surface perpendicular to the tie rod bore. I would be more concerned if they just left the cast surface unmachined. FYI the casting will probably rust through 10 years after the trucks been recycled.