Document and Entity Information Document (USD $) In Billions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2012	Nov. 30, 2012	Apr. 30, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Oct. 31, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	nav
Entity Registrant Name	NAVISTAR INTERNATIONAL CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000808450
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--10-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float			$ 2.0
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		80,032,749