Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	$ 139,000,000	$ 106,000,000	$ 239,000,000	$ 188,000,000
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	1,000,000	1,000,000	4,000,000	3,000,000
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(74,000,000)	(71,000,000)	(213,000,000)	(221,000,000)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(6,000,000)	(5,000,000)	(15,000,000)	(13,000,000)
Changes in restricted cash	1,000,000	0	(1,000,000)	1,000,000
Net cash used by investing activities	(78,000,000)	(75,000,000)	(225,000,000)	(230,000,000)
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	7,000,000	0	11,000,000	5,000,000
Tax impact from stock-based compensation	(11,000,000)	(5,000,000)	(10,000,000)	1,000,000
Retirement of long-term debt	(179,000,000)	(4,000,000)	(527,000,000)	(25,000,000)
Issuance of long-term debt	2,000,000	1,000,000	508,000,000	1,000,000
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt	0	0	(8,000,000)	(1,000,000)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	(89,000,000)	(114,000,000)	(146,000,000)	(158,000,000)
Net increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts	(1,000,000)	(10,000,000)	4,000,000	(21,000,000)
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	198,000,000	138,000,000	223,000,000	223,000,000
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	50,000,000	(20,000,000)	20,000,000	30,000,000
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	0	0	0	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	(28,000,000)	(22,000,000)	(55,000,000)	(44,000,000)
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	(51,000,000)	(36,000,000)	20,000,000	11,000,000
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	3,000,000	(25,000,000)	3,000,000	(31,000,000)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	13,000,000	(30,000,000)	37,000,000	(62,000,000)
Cash and cash equivalents, July 1 and January 1, respectively	311,000,000	250,000,000	287,000,000	282,000,000
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	324,000,000	220,000,000	324,000,000	220,000,000
Reclass and Elims
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(4,000,000)	(29,000,000)	(15,000,000)	(47,000,000)
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
Net cash used by investing activities	0	0	0	0
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	0		0	0
Tax impact from stock-based compensation	0	0	0	0
Retirement of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Issuance of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt			0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	0	0	0	0
Net increase (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 (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0	0	0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	4,000,000	29,000,000	15,000,000	47,000,000
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	0	0	0	0
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	4,000,000	29,000,000	15,000,000	47,000,000
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, July 1 and January 1, respectively	0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	0	0	0	0
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	170,000,000	17,000,000	113,000,000	61,000,000
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	1,000,000	(1,000,000)	1,000,000	0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(29,000,000)	(36,000,000)	(72,000,000)	(93,000,000)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(6,000,000)	(2,000,000)	(10,000,000)	(7,000,000)
Changes in restricted cash	0		0	0
Net cash used by investing activities	(34,000,000)	(39,000,000)	(81,000,000)	(100,000,000)
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	0		0	0
Tax impact from stock-based compensation	0	0	0	0
Retirement of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Issuance of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt			0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	0	0	0	0
Net increase (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 (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0	0	0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	(137,000,000)	20,000,000	(34,000,000)	31,000,000
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	0	0	0	0
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	(137,000,000)	20,000,000	(34,000,000)	31,000,000
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(1,000,000)	0	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(2,000,000)	(2,000,000)	(2,000,000)	(8,000,000)
Cash and cash equivalents, July 1 and January 1, respectively	2,000,000	4,000,000	2,000,000	10,000,000
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	0	2,000,000	0	2,000,000
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(17,000,000)	114,000,000	187,000,000	202,000,000
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	2,000,000	3,000,000	3,000,000
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(45,000,000)	(35,000,000)	(141,000,000)	(128,000,000)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	0	(3,000,000)	(5,000,000)	(6,000,000)
Changes in restricted cash	1,000,000		(1,000,000)	1,000,000
Net cash used by investing activities	(44,000,000)	(36,000,000)	(144,000,000)	(130,000,000)
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	0		0	0
Tax impact from stock-based compensation	0	0	0	0
Retirement of long-term debt	0	(1,000,000)	(16,000,000)	(14,000,000)
Issuance of long-term debt	2,000,000	1,000,000	8,000,000	1,000,000
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt			0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts	(1,000,000)	(10,000,000)	4,000,000	(21,000,000)
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	46,000,000	(29,000,000)	36,000,000	30,000,000
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0	0	0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	54,000,000	(20,000,000)	16,000,000	(47,000,000)
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	(28,000,000)	(22,000,000)	(55,000,000)	(44,000,000)
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	73,000,000	(81,000,000)	(7,000,000)	(95,000,000)
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	3,000,000	(25,000,000)	3,000,000	(31,000,000)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	15,000,000	(28,000,000)	39,000,000	(54,000,000)
Cash and cash equivalents, July 1 and January 1, respectively	309,000,000	246,000,000	285,000,000	272,000,000
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	324,000,000	218,000,000	324,000,000	218,000,000
Tenneco Inc
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(10,000,000)	4,000,000	(46,000,000)	(28,000,000)
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
Net cash used by investing activities	0	0	0	0
Financing Activities
Issuance of common shares	7,000,000		11,000,000	5,000,000
Tax impact from stock-based compensation	(11,000,000)	(5,000,000)	(10,000,000)	1,000,000
Retirement of long-term debt	(179,000,000)	(3,000,000)	(511,000,000)	(11,000,000)
Issuance of long-term debt	0	0	500,000,000	0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt			(8,000,000)	(1,000,000)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	(89,000,000)	(114,000,000)	(146,000,000)	(158,000,000)
Net increase (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	152,000,000	167,000,000	187,000,000	193,000,000
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	50,000,000	(20,000,000)	20,000,000	30,000,000
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	79,000,000	(29,000,000)	3,000,000	(31,000,000)
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	0	0	0	0
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	9,000,000	(4,000,000)	46,000,000	28,000,000
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	1,000,000	0	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, July 1 and January 1, respectively	0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0