Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	$ 129,000,000	$ 132,000,000	$ 100,000,000	$ 82,000,000
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	2,000,000	1,000,000	3,000,000	2,000,000
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(71,000,000)	(73,000,000)	(139,000,000)	(150,000,000)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(3,000,000)	(3,000,000)	(9,000,000)	(8,000,000)
Changes in restricted cash	(1,000,000)	(2,000,000)	(2,000,000)	1,000,000
Cash payments for net assets purchased				0
Net cash used by investing activities	(73,000,000)	(77,000,000)	(147,000,000)	(155,000,000)
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	6,000,000	5,000,000	4,000,000	5,000,000
Tax benefit from stock-based compensation	1,000,000	3,000,000	1,000,000	6,000,000
Retirement of long-term debt	(344,000,000)	(17,000,000)	(348,000,000)	(21,000,000)
Issuance of long-term debt	501,000,000	0	506,000,000	0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt	(8,000,000)	(1,000,000)	(8,000,000)	(1,000,000)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	(41,000,000)	(33,000,000)	(57,000,000)	(44,000,000)
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	(2,000,000)	(3,000,000)	5,000,000	(11,000,000)
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	(168,000,000)	(26,000,000)	25,000,000	85,000,000
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	(30,000,000)		(30,000,000)	50,000,000
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	0	0	0	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	(27,000,000)	(22,000,000)	(27,000,000)	(22,000,000)
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	(112,000,000)	(94,000,000)	71,000,000	47,000,000
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(7,000,000)	1,000,000	0	(6,000,000)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(63,000,000)	(38,000,000)	24,000,000	(32,000,000)
Cash and cash equivalents, April 1 and January 1, respectively	374,000,000	288,000,000	287,000,000	282,000,000
Cash and cash equivalents, June 30 (Note)	311,000,000	250,000,000	311,000,000	250,000,000
Reclass and Elims
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(11,000,000)	(19,000,000)	(11,000,000)	(19,000,000)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0	0	0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	0	0	0	0
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	0	0	0	0
Changes in restricted cash	0		0	0
Cash payments for net assets purchased				0
Net cash used by investing activities	0	0	0	0
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	0	0	0	0
Tax benefit from stock-based compensation	0	0	0	0
Retirement of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Issuance of long-term debt	0		0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	0	0	0	0
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	0	0	0	0
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0		0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	11,000,000	19,000,000	11,000,000	19,000,000
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	0	0	0	0
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	11,000,000	19,000,000	11,000,000	19,000,000
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, April 1 and January 1, respectively	0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, June 30 (Note)	0	0	0	0
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	155,000,000	118,000,000	(57,000,000)	44,000,000
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	1,000,000	0	1,000,000
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(30,000,000)	(30,000,000)	(43,000,000)	(57,000,000)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(2,000,000)	(3,000,000)	(4,000,000)	(5,000,000)
Changes in restricted cash	0	0	0	0
Cash payments for net assets purchased				0
Net cash used by investing activities	(32,000,000)	(32,000,000)	(47,000,000)	(61,000,000)
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	0	0	0	0
Tax benefit from stock-based compensation	0	0	0	0
Retirement of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Issuance of long-term debt	0		0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	0	0	0	0
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	0	0	0	0
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0		0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	(126,000,000)	(82,000,000)	103,000,000	11,000,000
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	0	0	0	0
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	(126,000,000)	(82,000,000)	103,000,000	11,000,000
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	1,000,000	0	1,000,000	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(2,000,000)	4,000,000	0	(6,000,000)
Cash and cash equivalents, April 1 and January 1, respectively	4,000,000	0	2,000,000	10,000,000
Cash and cash equivalents, June 30 (Note)	2,000,000	4,000,000	2,000,000	4,000,000
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	24,000,000	63,000,000	204,000,000	89,000,000
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	2,000,000	0	3,000,000	1,000,000
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(41,000,000)	(43,000,000)	(96,000,000)	(93,000,000)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(1,000,000)	0	(5,000,000)	(3,000,000)
Changes in restricted cash	(1,000,000)	(2,000,000)	(2,000,000)	1,000,000
Cash payments for net assets purchased				0
Net cash used by investing activities	(41,000,000)	(45,000,000)	(100,000,000)	(94,000,000)
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	0	0	0	0
Tax benefit from stock-based compensation	0	0	0	0
Retirement of long-term debt	(16,000,000)	(13,000,000)	(16,000,000)	(13,000,000)
Issuance of long-term debt	1,000,000		6,000,000
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	0	0	0	0
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	(2,000,000)	(3,000,000)	5,000,000	(11,000,000)
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	(18,000,000)	(5,000,000)	(10,000,000)	59,000,000
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0		0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	25,000,000	(18,000,000)	(38,000,000)	(28,000,000)
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	(27,000,000)	(22,000,000)	(27,000,000)	(22,000,000)
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	(37,000,000)	(61,000,000)	(80,000,000)	(15,000,000)
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(7,000,000)	1,000,000	0	(6,000,000)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(61,000,000)	(42,000,000)	24,000,000	(26,000,000)
Cash and cash equivalents, April 1 and January 1, respectively	370,000,000	288,000,000	285,000,000	272,000,000
Cash and cash equivalents, June 30 (Note)	309,000,000	246,000,000	309,000,000	246,000,000
Tenneco Inc
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(39,000,000)	(30,000,000)	(36,000,000)	(32,000,000)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0	0	0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	0	0	0	0
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	0	0	0	0
Changes in restricted cash	0		0	0
Cash payments for net assets purchased				0
Net cash used by investing activities	0	0	0	0
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	6,000,000	5,000,000	4,000,000	5,000,000
Tax benefit from stock-based compensation	1,000,000	3,000,000	1,000,000	6,000,000
Retirement of long-term debt	(328,000,000)	(4,000,000)	(332,000,000)	(8,000,000)
Issuance of long-term debt	500,000,000		500,000,000
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt	(8,000,000)	(1,000,000)	(8,000,000)	(1,000,000)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	(41,000,000)	(33,000,000)	(57,000,000)	(44,000,000)
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	(150,000,000)	(21,000,000)	35,000,000	26,000,000
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	(30,000,000)		(30,000,000)	50,000,000
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	90,000,000	81,000,000	(76,000,000)	(2,000,000)
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	0	0	0	0
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	40,000,000	30,000,000	37,000,000	32,000,000
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(1,000,000)	0	(1,000,000)	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, April 1 and January 1, respectively	0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, June 30 (Note)	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0