Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 341	$ 347	$ 374	$ 287
Restricted cash	3	2
Receivables, net	1,442	1,294
Inventories	782	730
Prepayments and other	288	229
Total current assets	2,856	2,602
Other assets:
Investment in affiliated companies	0	0
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	0	0
Long-term receivables, net	9	9
Goodwill	58	57
Intangibles, net	18	19
Deferred income taxes	184	195
Other	107	103
Total other assets	376	383
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	3,651	3,548
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(2,246)	(2,191)
Plant, property and equipment, net	1,405	1,357
Total Assets	4,637	4,342	4,348
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	113	90
Short-term debt — affiliated	0	0
Accounts payable	1,587	1,496
Accrued taxes	44	41
Other	333	343
Total current liabilities	2,077	1,970
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	1,406	1,294
Long-term debt — affiliated	0	0
Deferred income taxes	7	7
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	380	389
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	3,870	3,660
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	52	43
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	656	588
Noncontrolling interests	59	51
Total equity	715	639	554
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	4,637	4,342
Reclass and Elims
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Restricted cash	0	0
Receivables, net	(556)	(504)
Inventories	0	0
Prepayments and other	0	0
Total current assets	(556)	(504)
Other assets:
Investment in affiliated companies	(2,570)	(2,443)
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	(23,166)	(22,249)
Long-term receivables, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Intangibles, net	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other	0	0
Total other assets	(25,736)	(24,692)
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	0	0
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	0	0
Plant, property and equipment, net	0	0
Total Assets	(26,292)	(25,196)
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	0	0
Short-term debt — affiliated	(376)	(354)
Accounts payable	(115)	(88)
Accrued taxes	0	0
Other	(65)	(62)
Total current liabilities	(556)	(504)
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	0	0
Long-term debt — affiliated	(23,166)	(22,249)
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	0	0
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	(23,722)	(22,753)
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	(2,570)	(2,443)
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	(2,570)	(2,443)
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	(26,292)	(25,196)
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	6	9	4	2
Restricted cash	0	0
Receivables, net	453	386
Inventories	364	361
Prepayments and other	89	62
Total current assets	912	818
Other assets:
Investment in affiliated companies	1,236	1,221
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	950	939
Long-term receivables, net	8	9
Goodwill	22	22
Intangibles, net	7	7
Deferred income taxes	40	47
Other	45	46
Total other assets	2,308	2,291
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	1,397	1,371
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(901)	(895)
Plant, property and equipment, net	496	476
Total Assets	3,716	3,585
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	0	0
Short-term debt — affiliated	147	167
Accounts payable	611	557
Accrued taxes	12	6
Other	134	147
Total current liabilities	904	877
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	0	0
Long-term debt — affiliated	1,612	1,543
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	278	297
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	2,794	2,717
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	922	868
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	922	868
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	3,716	3,585
Nonguarantor Subsidiaries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	335	338	370	285
Restricted cash	3	2
Receivables, net	1,545	1,412
Inventories	418	369
Prepayments and other	199	167
Total current assets	2,500	2,288
Other assets:
Investment in affiliated companies	0	0
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	17,372	16,529
Long-term receivables, net	1	0
Goodwill	36	35
Intangibles, net	11	12
Deferred income taxes	17	19
Other	55	49
Total other assets	17,492	16,644
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	2,254	2,177
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(1,345)	(1,296)
Plant, property and equipment, net	909	881
Total Assets	20,901	19,813
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	98	75
Short-term debt — affiliated	229	187
Accounts payable	1,091	1,027
Accrued taxes	32	35
Other	254	243
Total current liabilities	1,704	1,567
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	12	12
Long-term debt — affiliated	17,317	16,466
Deferred income taxes	7	7
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	102	92
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	19,142	18,144
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	52	43
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	1,648	1,575
Noncontrolling interests	59	51
Total equity	1,707	1,626
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	20,901	19,813
Tenneco Inc
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	$ 0	$ 0
Restricted cash	0	0
Receivables, net	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Prepayments and other	0	0
Total current assets	0	0
Other assets:
Investment in affiliated companies	1,334	1,222
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	4,844	4,781
Long-term receivables, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Intangibles, net	0	0
Deferred income taxes	127	129
Other	7	8
Total other assets	6,312	6,140
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	0	0
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	0	0
Plant, property and equipment, net	0	0
Total Assets	6,312	6,140
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	15	15
Short-term debt — affiliated	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued taxes	0	0
Other	10	15
Total current liabilities	25	30
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	1,394	1,282
Long-term debt — affiliated	4,237	4,240
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	0	0
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	5,656	5,552
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	656	588
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	656	588
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	$ 6,312	$ 6,140