Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Feb. 17, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Document Documentand Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	TENNECO INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001024725
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Trading Symbol	TEN
Document Type	10-K/A
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	true
Amendment Description	Tenneco Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, "Tenneco," the "Company," "we" and "our") is filing this Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A (the “Form 10-K/A”) to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 24, 2017 (the “Original Filing”), to make the certain changes as described below. In preparing the consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2017, the Company identified deficiencies in its internal control over financial reporting. These deficiencies, when aggregated together, resulted in a material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting in China as of June 30, 2017. Specifically, the Company did not have people with appropriate authority and experience in key positions in China to ensure adherence to Company policies and US GAAP. Additionally, we did not have adequate international oversight to prevent the intentional mischaracterization of the nature of accounting transactions related to payments received from suppliers by certain purchasing and accounting personnel at the Company’s China subsidiaries. The material weakness identified as of June 30, 2017 caused us to reevaluate our previous conclusions on internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, and we have now concluded that the material weakness relating to our internal control over financial reporting in China existed as of December 31, 2016. As a result, we have revised our December 31, 2016 report on internal control over financial reporting, and we have also concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2016. The material weakness described above resulted in immaterial errors impacting our previously issued consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, each interim and year-to-date period in those respective years, and the first interim period in 2017. We evaluated these errors and concluded that they did not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a material misstatement of our previously issued consolidated financial statements and that such financial statements may continue to be relied upon. This Form 10-K/A amends Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting for the year ended December 31, 2016 as set forth in the Original Filing. This Form 10-K/A also amends the Original Filing to correct the immaterial errors to the consolidated financial statements, as described in more detail in Note 16 thereto. Revisions to the Original Filing have been made to the following items solely as a result of and to reflect these revisions: Item 1 - Business Item 1A - Risk Factors Item 6 - Selected Financial Data Item 7 - Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Item 8 - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data Item 9A - Controls and Procedures Item 15 - Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules As required by Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer are providing new currently dated certifications. In addition, the Company is filing a new consent of PricewaterhouseCoopersLLP. Accordingly, this Form 10-K/A amends Part IV - Item 15 in the Original Filing to reflect the filing of the new certifications and consent. Except as described above, this Form 10-K/A does not amend, update or change any other items or disclosures in the Original Filing and does not purport to reflect any information or events subsequent to the filing thereof. As such, this Form 10-K/A speaks only as of the date the Original Filing was filed, and the Company has not undertaken herein to amend, supplement or update any information contained in the Original Filing to give effect to any subsequent events. Accordingly, this Form 10-K/A should be read in conjunction with the Company’s filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission subsequent to the filing of the Original Filing, including any amendment to those filings. Concurrently with the filing of this Form 10-K/A, we are also filing an amendment to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017. Future Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q will reflect the revisions for financial information included in this Form 10-K/A and the Form 10-Q/A for the quarter ended March 31, 2017.
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		54,300,982
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 2.6