| **Finance receivables**            | 6 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            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| **Finance receivables [Abstract]** | Â                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           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| Finance receivables                | Finance receivablesFinance receivables are receivables of our financial services operations, which generally can be repaid without penalty prior to contractual maturity. Total finance receivables reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets are net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. Total on-balance sheet assets of our financial services operations net of intercompany balances are $3.4 billion and $3.3 billion, as of April 30, 2011 and October 31, 2010, respectively. Included in total assets are on-balance sheet finance receivables of $2.9 billion as of April 30, 2011 and October 31, 2010.In March 2010, we entered into a three-year Operating Agreement (with one-year automatic extensions and subject to early termination provisions) with GE Capital Corporation and GE Capital Commercial, Inc. (collectively “GE”). Under the terms of the agreement, GE became our preferred source of retail customer financing for equipment offered by us and our dealers in the U.S. We provide GE a loss sharing arrangement for certain credit losses. The primary features of the loss sharing arrangement include us reimbursing GE for credit losses in excess of the first 10% of the original value of a financed contract. The Company’s exposure to loss is mitigated since receivables financed under the operating agreement are secured by the financed equipment. We do not carry the receivables financed under this operating agreement on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. There were $403 million and $144 million of outstanding finance receivables as of April 30, 2011 and October 31, 2010, respectively, financed through the operating agreement and subject to the loss sharing arrangement. The related originations of these outstanding finance receivables were $445 million and $159 million as of April 30, 2011 and October 31, 2010, respectively. Based on our historic experience of losses on similar finance receivables and GE’s first loss position, we do not believe our share of losses related to balances currently outstanding will be material. Historically our losses, representing the entire loss amount, on similar finance receivables, measured as a percentage of the average balance of the related finance receivable, ranged from 0.3% to 2.1%. While under limited circumstances NFC retains the rights to originate retail customer financing, we expect retail finance receivables and retail finance revenues will decline over the next five years as our retail portfolio pays down.Pursuant to the adoption of new accounting guidance relating to disclosures about the allowance for losses and credit quality of finance receivables, we determined that we have two portfolio segments of finance receivables based on the type of financing inherent to each segment. The retail portfolio segment represents loans or leases to end-users for the purchase or lease of vehicles. The wholesale portfolio segment represents loans to dealers to finance their inventory.Our finance receivables by major classification are as follows:  April 30,2011 October 31,2010(in millions)    Retail portfolio $1,734 $1,917Wholesale portfolio 1,239 1,006Amounts due from sales of receivables — 53Total finance receivables 2,973 2,976Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts (42) (61)Total finance receivables, net 2,931 2,915Less: Current portion, net(A) (1,983) (1,770)Noncurrent portion, net $948 $1,145_______________ (A)The current portion of finance receivables is computed based on contractual maturities. Actual cash collections typically vary from the contractual cash flows because of prepayments, extensions, delinquencies, credit losses, and renewals.SecuritizationsOur financial services operations transfer wholesale notes, retail accounts receivable, retail notes, finance leases, and operating leases through SPEs, which generally are only permitted to purchase these assets, issue asset-backed securities, and make payments on the securities. In addition to servicing receivables, our continued involvement in the SPEs includes an economic interest in the transferred receivables and, historically, managing exposure to interest rates using interest rate swaps, interest rate caps, and forward contracts. In 2010, certain sales of retail accounts receivables were considered to be sales in accordance with guidance on accounting for transfers and servicing of financial assets and extinguishment of liabilities, and were accounted for off-balance sheet. For sales that do qualify for off-balance sheet treatment, an initial gain (loss) is recorded at the time of the sale while servicing fees and excess spread income are recorded as revenue when earned over the life of the finance receivables.We received net proceeds of $303 million and $348 million from securitizations of finance receivables and investments in operating leases accounted for as secured borrowings for the three and six months ended April 30, 2011, respectively, and $6 million and $245 million from securitizations of finance receivables and investments in operating leases accounted for as secured borrowings for the three and six months ended April 30, 2010, respectively.Effective July 31, 2010, our Financial Services segment amended the wholesale trust agreement with the Navistar Financial Dealer Note Master Trust (“Master Trust”). The amendment disqualified the Master Trust as a QSPE and therefore required the Master Trust to be evaluated for consolidation as a VIE. As we are the primary beneficiary of the Master Trust, the Master Trust’s assets and liabilities are consolidated into the assets and liabilities of the Company. Components of available wholesale note trust funding facilities were as follows:  Maturity As ofApril 30,2011 October 31,2010(in millions)      Variable funding notes (“VFN”) August 2011 $500 $500Investor notes October 2012 350 350Investor notes January 2012 250 250Total wholesale note funding   $1,100 $1,100Unutilized funding related to the variable funding facilities was $350 million and $500 million at April 30, 2011 and October 31, 2010, respectively.TRAC, our consolidated SPE, utilized a $100 million funding facility arrangement that provides for the funding of eligible retail accounts receivables. Subsequent to the adoption of new accounting guidance on accounting for transfers of financial assets, transfers of finance receivables from our Financial Services segment to the TRAC funding facility completed prior to November 1, 2010 retained their sale accounting treatment while transfers of finance receivables subsequent to November 1, 2010 no longer receive sale accounting treatment. There were no remaining outstanding retained interests as of April 30, 2011. In January 2011, the maturity of the funding facility was extended to March 2011, and in March 2011, the funding facility was refinanced with a maturity date of March 2012. The facility is secured by $136 million of retail accounts and $31 million of cash equivalents as of April 30, 2011 and $54 million of retail accounts and $21 million of cash equivalents as of October 31, 2010. There was $22 million and $78 million of unutilized funding at April 30, 2011 and October 31, 2010, respectively. As of April 30, 2011, all pledged receivables of the SPE are consolidated. Retained Interests in Off-Balance Sheet SecuritizationsRetained interests in off-balance sheet securitizations of $53 million at October 31, 2010, represented our over-collateralization of the TRAC conduit funding facility. As of April 30, 2011, all retail accounts sold into the conduit prior to November 1, 2010 were liquidated, therefore there were no retained interests in off-balance sheet securitizations. When retained interests are recorded, we estimate the payment speeds for the receivables sold, the discount rate used to determine the fair value of our retained interests, and the anticipated net losses on the receivables in order to calculate the initial gain or loss on the sale of the receivables. Estimates are based on historical experience, anticipated future portfolio performance, market-based discount rates and other factors and are made separately for each securitization transaction. The fair value of our retained interests is based on these assumptions. We re-evaluate the fair value of our retained interests on a monthly basis and recognize changes in current income as required. Our retained interests are recognized as an asset in Finance receivables, net.The key economic assumptions related to the valuation of our retained interests related to our retail account securitization are as follows:   As ofOctober 31, 2010Discount rate 7.3%Estimated credit losses —Payment speed (percent of portfolio per month) 88.5%The sensitivity of our retained interests to an immediate adverse change of 10 percent and 20 percent in each assumption is not material. The effect of a variation of a particular assumption on the fair value of the retained interests is calculated based upon changing one assumption at a time. Oftentimes however, changes in one factor may result in changes in another, which in turn could magnify or counteract these sensitivities. Finance RevenuesFinance revenues derived from receivables that are both on and off-balance sheet consist of the following:   Three Months  EndedApril 30, Six Months  EndedApril 30,  2011 2010 2011 2010(in millions)        Finance revenues from on-balance sheet receivables:        Retail notes and finance leases revenue $39 $45 $76 $98Operating lease revenue 8 6 15 12Wholesale notes interest 26 6 51 12Retail and wholesale accounts interest 6 4 12 9Other income — 1 — 2Total finance revenues from on-balance sheet receivables 79 62 154 133Revenues from off-balance sheet securitization:        Fair value adjustments — 13 1 20Excess spread income — 10 — 21Servicing fees revenue — 2 — 4Gain (loss) on sale of finance receivables 4 (11) 1 (27)Securitization income 4 14 2 18Gross finance revenues 83 76 156 151Less: Intercompany revenues (26) (23) (49) (47)Finance revenues $57 $53 $107 $104As a result of the adoption of new accounting guidance, substantially all of our securitization activity in 2011 results in the receivables being carried on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. Cash flows from off-balance sheet securitization transactions for the three and six months ended April 30, 2010 are as follows:   Three Months  EndedApril 30, 2010 Six Months  EndedApril 30, 2010(in millions)    Proceeds from finance receivables $954 $2,027Servicing fees 5 7Cash from net excess spread 20 31Net cash from securitization transactions $979 $2,065 |

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| - Definition
Finance Receivables [Abstract]
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| - Definition
Provides the disclosures pertaining to a transferor's continuing involvement in financial assets that it has transferred in a securitization or asset-backed financing arrangement, the nature of any restrictions on assets reported by an entity in its statement of financial position that relate to a transferred financial asset (including the carrying amounts of such assets), how servicing assets and servicing liabilities are reported, and (for securitization or asset-backed financing arrangements accounted for as sales) when a transferor has continuing involvement with the transferred financial assets and transfers of financial assets accounted for as secured borrowings, how the transfer of financial assets affects an entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 140 -Paragraph 17Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Staff Position (FSP) -Number FAS140-4 and FIN46(R)-8 -Paragraph 6Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Staff Position (FSP) -Number FAS140-4 and FIN46(R)-8 -Paragraph B1-B12
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