Acquisitions and Divestitures - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended					1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended							1 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2009	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011 Year	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2009 Other Expense	Dec. 31, 2009 Property Plant and Equipment	Sep. 30, 2011 Equity Method Investments	Sep. 30, 2011 Equity Method Investments GETRAG Corporation	Sep. 30, 2011 Equity Method Investments Getrag Dana Holding GmbH	Sep. 30, 2011 Equity Method Investments GETRAG entities	Sep. 30, 2011 Equity Method Investments GETRAG entities	Jan. 31, 2011 SIFCO Year	Dec. 31, 2011 SIFCO	Jun. 30, 2011 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd.	Dec. 31, 2011 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd. Year	Dec. 31, 2010 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd.	Dec. 31, 2009 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd.	Jun. 30, 2007 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd.	Dec. 31, 2011 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd. Maximum	Dec. 31, 2011 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd. Amortizable Intangible Assets	Dec. 31, 2011 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd. Property, plant and equipment	Dec. 31, 2011 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd. Inventory	Dec. 31, 2011 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd. goodwill	Dec. 31, 2011 Dongfeng Dana Axle Co., Ltd. Deferred Income Tax Liabilities	Jun. 30, 2011 Axles India Limited	Oct. 31, 2011 Dana Rexroth Transmission Systems
Business Acquisitions and Investments in Equity Affiliates [Line Items]
Payment to acquire distribution rights														$ 150
Aggregate fair value of assets acquired														150
Business acquisition purchase price allocation assets acquired liabilities assumed, net																											13
Business acquisition, purchase price allocation, intangible assets														145													11
Business acquisition, purchase price allocation, accounts receivable																											1
Business acquisition, purchase price allocation, inventories																											3
Business acquisition, purchase price allocation, fixed asset														25													3
Business acquisition, purchase price allocation, embedded lease obligations														20
Business acquisition, purchase price allocation, accounts payable																											5
Expected life of amortizable intangible assets														10
Fixed assets, useful life														10
Embedded lease obligations, useful life														10 years
Revenue of acquiree included in results of operations															390
Pre tax income of acquiree included in results of operations															17
Percentage of ownership interest acquired																46.00%				4.00%
Capital contribuion to venture	8			132												124												8
Transaction costs																6
Selling price reduction agreement term (years)																					4 years
Maximum amount Dana's share of DDAC's earnings that could be reduced due to price reduction agreement																					20
Contingent consideration recorded at fair value as a liability																	5
Additional investment recorded at fair value																	135
Additional investment exceeded net equity																	70
Remaining useful lives of property, minimum				2													10
Remaining useful lives of property, maximum				30													45
Remaining useful lives of intangible assets, minimum																	4
Remaining useful lives of intangible assets, maximum																	15
Percentage of ownership interest																	50.00%	4.00%	4.00%	4.00%
Retroactive adjustment of Dana's equity in earnings of affiliates																		1	1
Allocation of excess investment																						18	16	1	42	7
Purchase price for business acquisition																											13
Expected annual sales																											50
Ownership Percentage Sold										49.00%	42.00%
Proceeds from sale of interest in equity affiliates				136								136
Gain from sale equity interest included in other income			60	60					60				60
Charge related to sale agreement of Structural Products business to Metalsa S.A. de C.V. (Metalsa)		161
Net of tax charge related to sale agreement of Structural Products business to Metalsa S.A. de C.V. (Metalsa)		153
Impairment of assets		150				150		121
Transaction and other expenses associated with the sale recorded in other income, net		11		11	1	16	11
Impairment of definitie-lived intangble assets		29
Guaranteed lease payments through June 2025 related to divested business		6				6
Cash proceeds from divestiture of Structural Products business				16	118
Remaining proceeds receivable from divestiture of Structural Products business					30
Earn-out provision of Structural Products business divestiture					15
Receivable from divestiture of Structural Products business, held in escrow					8
Receivable from divestiture of Structural Products business, deferred proceeds				5
Release of escrow funds			11
Sales of divestiture of axle, differential and brake systems business				53	59
Asset impairment for sales of business based on our current estimate of the expected sales price			5
Assets of divestiture of axle, differential and brake systems business				14
Property, plant and equipment of divestiture of axle, differential and brake systems business				4
Liabilities of divestiture of axle, differential and brake systems business				$ 5