One problem related to steering gear box shaft pitman has been reported for the 2001 Ford F-250. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I was driving east on burke hill rd at approx. 35 mph when the steering went on my pick up truck, then I hit a pine tree and broke the radiator, the drivers side front quarter panel was folded back to the drivers door and I saw a piece of the under carriage hanging down and come to find out it was the spectar arm broke by the front tire(drivers side), and when the garage picked the truck up in the air they found out the transfer case was broke nearly in half. They felt the cause of the accident was the broken spectar arm.