Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities		$ (9)	$ (29)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets		3	1
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment		(103)	(68)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets		(6)	(6)
Changes in restricted cash		(1)	(1)
Net cash used by investing activities		(107)	(74)
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares		(3)	(2)
Cash dividends	$ (13)	(13)	0
Issuance of common shares			(2)
Retirement of long-term debt		(6)	(4)
Issuance of long-term debt		0	5
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		(16)	(16)
Net increase in bank overdrafts		3	7
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		117	193
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable		20
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations		0	0
Net cash provided by financing activities		102	183
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		8	7
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(6)	87
Cash and cash equivalents, January 1		347	287
Cash and cash equivalents, March 31 (Note)	341	341	374
Reclass and Elims
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities		0	0
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets		0	0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment		0	0
Cash payments for software related intangible assets		0	0
Changes in restricted cash		0
Net cash used by investing activities		0	0
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares		0
Issuance of common shares			0
Retirement of long-term debt		0	0
Issuance of long-term debt			0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		0	0
Net increase in bank overdrafts		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
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable		0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations		0	0
Net cash provided by financing activities		0	0
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, January 1		0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, March 31 (Note)	0	0	0
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities		(41)	(212)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets		2	0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment		(42)	(13)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets		(2)	(2)
Changes in restricted cash		0	0
Net cash used by investing activities		(42)	(15)
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares		0
Issuance of common shares			0
Retirement of long-term debt		0	0
Issuance of long-term debt			0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		0	0
Net increase in bank overdrafts		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
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable		0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations		80	229
Net cash provided by financing activities		80	229
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(3)	2
Cash and cash equivalents, January 1		9	2
Cash and cash equivalents, March 31 (Note)	6	6	4
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities		46	180
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets		1	1
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment		(61)	(55)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets		(4)	(4)
Changes in restricted cash		(1)	(1)
Net cash used by investing activities		(65)	(59)
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares		0
Issuance of common shares			0
Retirement of long-term debt		0	0
Issuance of long-term debt			5
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		0	0
Net increase in bank overdrafts		3	7
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		20	8
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable		0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations		(15)	(63)
Net cash provided by financing activities		8	(43)
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		8	7
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(3)	85
Cash and cash equivalents, January 1		338	285
Cash and cash equivalents, March 31 (Note)	335	335	370
Tenneco Inc
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities		(14)	3
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets		0	0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment		0	0
Cash payments for software related intangible assets		0	0
Changes in restricted cash		0
Net cash used by investing activities		0	0
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares		(3)
Cash dividends		(13)
Issuance of common shares			(2)
Retirement of long-term debt		(6)	(4)
Issuance of long-term debt			0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		(16)	(16)
Net increase in bank overdrafts		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		97	185
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable		20
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations		(65)	(166)
Net cash provided by financing activities		14	(3)
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, January 1		0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, March 31 (Note)	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0