| **Fair Value Measurements (Tables)**                               | 9 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
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| **Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]**                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Financial instruments measured at fair value, recurring basis      | The following table presents the financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of October 31, 2011:   Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total(in millions)        Assets        Marketable securities        U.S. Treasury bills $283 $— $— $283Other U.S and non-U.S. government bonds 415 — — 415Other 20 — — 20Derivative financial instruments        Foreign currency contracts — — 1 1Commodity contracts — 3 — 3Total assets $718 $3 $1 $722Liabilities        Derivative financial instruments        Foreign currency contracts — 4 — 4Commodity contracts —336336Guarantees — — 6 6Total liabilities $— $7 $9 $16 The following table presents the financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of October 31, 2010:  Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total(in millions)        Assets        Marketable securities        U.S. Treasury bills $159 $— $— $159Other U.S and non-U.S. government bonds 407 — — 407Other 20 — — 20Derivative financial instruments        Commodity contracts — — 2 2Foreign currency contracts — 8 — 8Retained interests — — 53 53Total assets $586 $8 $55 $649Liabilities        Derivative financial instruments        Commodity contracts $— $4 $— $4Total liabilities $— $4 $— $4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| Financial instruments classified within Level 3                    | The table below presents the changes for those financial instruments classified within Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy: 2011 2010 Guarantees Retainedinterests Commoditycontracts Interest rate swap assets and liabilities Retainedinterests Commodity contracts(in millions)           Year Ended October 31           Balance at November 1$— $53 $2 $1 $291 $—Total gains (losses) (realized/unrealized) included in earnings (A)— — 2 (1) 4 2Purchases, issuances, and settlements6 (53) (6) — (242) —Balance at October 31$6 $— $(2) $— $53 $2_____________ (A)For interest rate swap assets and liabilities, gains (losses) are included in Interest expense. For commodity contracts, gains (losses) are included in Cost of products sold. For retained interests, gains recognized are included in Finance revenues.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Financial instruments measured at fair value, nonrecurring basis   | The following table presents the financial instruments measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis as of October 31:  Level 2  2011 2010(in millions)    Finance receivables(A) $5 $27 _____________(A)Certain impaired finance receivables are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. An impairment charge is recorded for the amount by which the carrying value of the receivables exceeds the fair value of the underlying collateral, net of remarketing costs. As of October 31, 2011, impaired receivables with a carrying amount of $15 million had specific loss reserves of $10 million and a fair value of $5 million. As of October 31, 2010, impaired receivables with a carrying amount of $50 million had specific loss reserves of $23 million and a fair value of $27 million. Fair values of the underlying collateral are determined by reference to dealer vehicle value publications adjusted for certain market factors.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| Carrying values and estimated fair values of financial instruments | For the purpose of impairment evaluation, the Company measured the fair values of certain long-lived assets, including intangible assets, utilizing the fair value measurement guidance. The following table presents the non-financial instruments measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis:   Level 3  2011(in millions)  Assets  Property and equipment (A) $54Intangible assets (B) 30Total assets $84 _____________(A)Certain impaired property and equipment with a carrying amount of $64 million were written down to their fair value of $54 million, resulting in an impairment charge of $10 million, which was included in Impairment of property and equipment and intangible assets during the three months ended July 31, 2011.  We utilized the market and cost approach to determine the fair value of these assets.(B) Intangible assets with a carrying amount of $84 million were written down to their fair value of $30 million, resulting in an impairment charge of $54 million, which was included in Impairment of property and equipment and intangible assets during the three months ended July 31, 2011.  We utilized the income and market approach to determine the fair value of these assets.In addition to the methods and assumptions we use for the financial instruments recorded at fair value as discussed above, we use the following methods and assumptions to estimate the fair value for our other financial instruments that are not marked to market on a recurring basis. The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, and accounts payable approximate fair values because of the short-term maturity and highly liquid nature of these instruments. The carrying amounts of customer receivables and retail and wholesale accounts approximate fair values as a result of the short-term nature of the receivables. Due to the nature of the aforementioned financial instruments, they have been excluded from the fair value amounts presented in the table below. The fair values of our finance receivables are estimated by discounting expected cash flows at estimated current market rates. We also use quoted market prices, when available, or the present value of estimated future cash flows to determine fair values of debt instruments.The carrying values and estimated fair values of financial instruments as of October 31, 2011 and 2010 are summarized in the table below:  October 31, 2011 October 31, 2010  CarryingValue EstimatedFair  Value CarryingValue EstimatedFair  Value(in millions)        Assets        Finance receivables $2,141 $2,085 $2,465 $2,349Notes receivable 47 47 40 40Liabilities        Debt:        Manufacturing operations        8.25% Senior Notes, due 2021 967 1,131 965 1,1413.0% Senior Subordinated Convertible Notes, due 2014(A) 497 633 476 684Debt of majority-owned dealerships 94 88 66 63Financing arrangements 114 112 203 197Loan Agreement related to 6.5% Tax Exempt Bonds, due 2040 225 234 225 234Promissory Note 40 39 — —Other 39 26 33 29Financial services operations        Asset-backed debt issued by consolidated SPEs, at various rates, due serially through 2018 1,664 1,695 1,731 1,773Bank revolvers, at fixed and variable rates, due dates from 2012 through 2018 1,072 1,091 974 984Commercial paper, at variable rates, due serially through 2012 70 70 67 67Borrowings secured by operating and finance leases, at various rates, due serially through 2017 70 70 112 113___________________ (A)The carrying value represents the financial statement amount of the debt after allocation of the conversion feature to equity, while the fair value is based on quoted market prices for the convertible note which includes the equity feature. |

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| - Definition
Tabular disclosure of the fair value measurement of assets and liabilities using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances, separately presenting changes during the period attributable to the following: (1) total gains or losses for the period (realized and unrealized), segregating those gains or losses included in earnings (or changes in net assets) and gains or losses recognized in other comprehensive income, and a description of where those gains or losses included in earnings (or changes in net assets) are reported in the statement of income (or activities); (2) purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements (each type disclosed separately); and (3) transfers in and transfers out of Level 3 (for example, transfers due to changes in the observability of significant inputs), by class of asset and liability.
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| - Definition
Tabular disclosure of assets and liabilities by class, including [financial] instruments measured at fair value that are classified in stockholders' equity, if any, that are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis in periods after initial recognition (for example, impaired assets). The disclosures that may be required or desired include: (a) the fair value measurements recorded during the period and the reasons for the measurements and (b) the level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurements in their entirety fall, segregating fair value measurements using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1), significant other observable inputs (Level 2), and significant unobservable inputs (Level 3).  Where the quoted price in an active market for the identical liability is not available, the Level 1 input is the quoted price of an identical liability when traded as an asset.
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| - Definition
Tabular disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments, assets, and liabilities. Such certain disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate) and (2) the methodology and assumptions used in developing such estimates of fair value.
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| - Definition
Tabular disclosure of assets and liabilities, including [financial] instruments measured at fair value that are classified in stockholders' equity, if any, that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The disclosures contemplated herein include the fair value measurements at the reporting date by the level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurements in their entirety fall, segregating fair value measurements using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1), significant other observable inputs (Level 2), and significant unobservable inputs (Level 3).
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