Common Stock - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended					12 Months Ended					1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended												12 Months Ended				1 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 1999	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jan. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2014 Future Stock Repurchases Program	Dec. 31, 1999 Minimum	Dec. 31, 1999 Maximum	Dec. 31, 2013 Stock Option	Dec. 31, 2012 Stock Option	Dec. 31, 2011 Stock Option	Dec. 31, 2013 Restricted stock, restricted stock units, long term performance units, SARs	Dec. 31, 2012 Restricted stock, restricted stock units, long term performance units, SARs	Dec. 31, 2011 Restricted stock, restricted stock units, long term performance units, SARs	Dec. 31, 2013 Restricted Stock	Dec. 31, 1999 Supplemental Stock Ownership Plan	Mar. 12, 2002 2002 Long-Term Incentive Plan	Dec. 31, 2013 2006 Long-Term Incentive Plan	May 15, 2013 2006 Long-Term Incentive Plan	May 13, 2009 2006 Long-Term Incentive Plan	Dec. 31, 2013 United States Stock Option	Dec. 31, 2013 Less - Common Stock Held as Treasury Stock, at Cost	Dec. 31, 2012 Less - Common Stock Held as Treasury Stock, at Cost	Dec. 31, 2011 Less - Common Stock Held as Treasury Stock, at Cost	Jan. 31, 2013 Less - Common Stock Held as Treasury Stock, at Cost Open Market [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 Less - Common Stock Held as Treasury Stock, at Cost Tenneco Retirement Plan for Salaried Employees [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Authorized common stock available for issuance under the plan			135,000,000					135,000,000															4,000,000		3,500,000	2,300,000
Common stock, par value			$ 0.01					$ 0.01
Common stock, shares issued			63,714,728					63,714,728	62,789,382
Treasury stock shares			2,844,692					2,844,692	2,294,692	1,694,692
Authorized treasury shares available for purchase under the supplemental stock ownership plan																						1,100,000
Count of each share from a stock option award against shares available for issuance under the plan																										1
Count of each share from a full value award against shares available for issuance under the plan																									1.49	1.25
Shares of common stock remain authorized for delivery																								3,979,918
Term for stock options		3 years						4 years 10 months 24 days	4 years 8 months 12 days	4 years 9 months 18 days			7 years	20 years
Restriction period for restricted common stock		3 years
Compensation expense related to nonqualified stock options															$ 6	$ 5	$ 3
Decrease in basic earnings per share								$ (0.10)	$ (0.09)
Decrease in diluted earnings per share								$ (0.09)	$ (0.08)
Decrease in basic and diluted earnings per share										$ (0.05)
Unrecognized compensation costs															6			13			6
Unrecognized compensation costs, weighted average period															1 year 2 months 12 days			1 year 2 months 12 days			1 year 8 months 12 days
Share based compensation								13	11	8								17	16	11
Cash received from stock option exercises															15	7	6										24
Unrecorded tax benefit from stock options exercised															6	10
Weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted								$ 19.86	$ 17.49	$ 26.11
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Number			1,397,102					1,397,102
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Intrinsic Value			51					51
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price			$ 17.82					$ 17.82
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term								4 years 8 months 12 days
Total Intrinsic value of options exercised			5	0	7	1		19	10	13
Total fair value of shares vested								5	4	3
Weighted average grant-date fair value of restricted stock granted				$ 46.91	$ 38.90	$ 36.28		$ 36.40	$ 30.06	$ 45.38
Total fair value of restricted shares vested								6	5	3
Number of shares authorized to be repurchased	550,000											400,000
Stock repurchased during period							600,000																					550,000	600,000	400,000	450,000	100,000
Payments for Repurchase of Common Stock							18	27	18	16
2012 authorized outstanding common stock for repurchase over a 12 month period											600,000
Average price of share repurchase program							$ 29.22
Stock repurchased during the period	$ 27																											$ 27	$ 18	$ 16
Treasury stock average cost per share	$ 49.33