Debt - Financial Services Operations (Details) (USD $)							1 Months Ended															1 Months Ended								1 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2012	Oct. 31, 2011	Oct. 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Financial Services Operations [Member]	Aug. 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member] VFN Facility [Member]	Jul. 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member] VFN Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Financial Services Operations [Member] Bank Facility [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member] Secured Debt [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Financial Services Operations [Member] Secured Debt [Member]	May 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member] Asset-backed Securities [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member] Borrowings Secured By Operating and Finance Leases [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Financial Services Operations [Member] Borrowings Secured By Operating and Finance Leases [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member] Borrowings Secured By Operating and Finance Leases [Member] Trac Funding Facility [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member] Borrowings Secured By Operating and Finance Leases [Member] Trac Funding Facility [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member] Line of Credit [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Financial Services Operations [Member] Line of Credit [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Financial Services Operations [Member] Commercial Paper [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Financial Services Operations [Member] Commercial Paper [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Navistar Financial Retail Receivables Corporation [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member] Asset-backed Securities [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Special Purpose Entity [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Special Purpose Entity [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Aug. 31, 2012 Navistar Financial, S.A. de C.V., SOFOM, E.N.R [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member] Funding Facility to Support Trade Receivables [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Navistar Leasing Company [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Navistar Leasing Company [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 International Truck Leasing Corporation [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 International Truck Leasing Corporation [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Revolving Credit Facility [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member] Bank Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Revolving Credit Facility [Member] Mexican Finance Subsidiary [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member] Bank Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Term Loan [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member] Bank Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Installment Payments Set One [Member] Term Loan [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member] Bank Facility [Member] Installments	Dec. 31, 2011 Installment Payments Set Two [Member] Term Loan [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member] Bank Facility [Member] Installments	Oct. 31, 2012 United States Dollars and Mexican Pesos [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 United States Dollars and Mexican Pesos [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 United States of America, Dollars [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 United States of America, Dollars [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Mexico, Pesos [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Mexico, Pesos [Member] Financial Services Operations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loans Payable to Bank										$ 372,000,000									$ 502,000,000									$ 200,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					750,000,000	500,000,000							125,000,000	100,000,000
Long-term Debt	4,771,000,000		1,866,000,000	2,876,000,000				994,000,000	1,664,000,000		78,000,000	70,000,000			763,000,000	1,072,000,000	31,000,000	70,000,000		1,100,000,000	1,700,000,000											414,000,000	348,000,000
Pledged Assets, Other, Not Separately Reported on Statement of Financial Position			1,300,000,000	1,900,000,000
Line Of Credit Facility Term Length							5
Debt instrument, percentage of borrowings denominated in countries currency																																		20.00%	21.00%	80.00%	79.00%
Line Of Credit Facility Term																						5 years
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity							840,000,000															95,000,000					500,000,000		340,000,000
Commercial Paper																																31,000,000	70,000,000
Debt Instrument, Periodic Payment, Principal																														4,000,000	9,000,000
Debt Instrument, Number Of Installment Payments																														8	11
Secured Debt																							4,000,000	6,000,000	74,000,000	64,000,000
Loans Pledged as Collateral																									86,000,000	70,000,000
Debt, Current	1,205,000,000	1,379,000,000	1,033,000,000	1,280,000,000
Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations	$ 3,566,000,000	$ 3,477,000,000	$ 833,000,000	$ 1,596,000,000