Document and Entity Information Document $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2018 USD ($) shares
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Oct. 31, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
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	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding | shares	98,900,635
Entity Public Float | $	$ 1,272