Summary of Accounting Policies - Error Correction, Income Statement (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Costs incorrectly capitalized										$ 49	$ 42
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Net sales and operating revenues	$ 4,278	$ 2,371	$ 2,533	$ 2,581	$ 2,389	$ 2,273	$ 2,314	$ 2,298	$ 11,763	9,274	8,597
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)	3,698	2,014	2,157	2,202	2,019	1,912	1,949	1,932	10,071	7,812	7,126
Selling, general, and administrative									794	638	514
Depreciation and amortization									345	226	213
Engineering, research, and development									204	158	153
Goodwill impairment charge									3	11	0
Costs and expenses									11,417	8,845	8,006
Loss on sale of receivables									16	5	5
Non-service pension and postretirement benefit costs									20	16	84
Loss on extinguishment of debt									10	1	24
Equity in (earnings) losses of nonconsolidated affiliates, net of tax									(18)	1	0
Other expense (income), net									12	(2)	(1)
Total other expense (income)									40	21	112
Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests	(31)	109	109	119	132	131	23	122	306	408	479
Interest expense									132	72	68
Earnings before income taxes and noncontrolling interests									174	336	411
Income tax expense (benefit)									63	71	(4)
Net income									111	265	415
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests									56	67	68
Net income attributable to Tenneco Inc.	$ (109)	$ 57	$ 47	$ 60	$ 62	$ 80	$ (5)	$ 61	$ 55	$ 198	$ 347
Basic earnings per share of common stock (in dollars per share)	$ (1.35)	$ 1.11	$ 0.92	$ 1.17	$ 1.19	$ 1.53	$ (0.09)	$ 1.13	$ 0.93	$ 3.75	$ 6.20
Diluted earnings per share of common stock (in dollars per share)	$ (1.35)	$ 1.11	$ 0.92	$ 1.17	$ 1.19	$ 1.53	$ (0.09)	$ 1.12	$ 0.93	$ 3.73	$ 6.15
As Reported
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Net sales and operating revenues		$ 2,372	$ 2,537	$ 2,574	$ 2,391	$ 2,274	$ 2,317	$ 2,292		$ 9,274	$ 8,599
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)		2,014	2,159	2,198	2,020	1,911	1,949	1,929		7,809	7,116
Selling, general, and administrative										636	513
Depreciation and amortization										224	212
Engineering, research, and development										158	154
Goodwill impairment charge										11
Costs and expenses										8,838	7,995
Loss on sale of receivables										5	5
Non-service pension and postretirement benefit costs										0	0
Loss on extinguishment of debt										0	0
Equity in (earnings) losses of nonconsolidated affiliates, net of tax										0
Other expense (income), net										14	83
Total other expense (income)										19	88
Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests		104	113	117	135	134	27	121		417	516
Interest expense										73	92
Earnings before income taxes and noncontrolling interests										344	424
Income tax expense (benefit)										70	0
Net income										274	424
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests										67	68
Net income attributable to Tenneco Inc.		$ 54	$ 50	$ 58	$ 68	$ 83	$ (3)	$ 59		$ 207	$ 356
Basic earnings per share of common stock (in dollars per share)		$ 1.05	$ 0.98	$ 1.13	$ 1.33	$ 1.57	$ (0.05)	$ 1.10		$ 3.93	$ 6.36
Diluted earnings per share of common stock (in dollars per share)		$ 1.05	$ 0.98	$ 1.13	$ 1.33	$ 1.57	$ (0.05)	$ 1.09		$ 3.91	$ 6.31
Revisions
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Net sales and operating revenues		$ (1)	$ (4)	$ 7	$ (2)	$ (1)	$ (3)	$ 6		$ 0	$ (2)
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)		0	(2)	4	(1)	1	0	3		3	10
Selling, general, and administrative										2	1
Depreciation and amortization										2	1
Engineering, research, and development											(1)
Costs and expenses										7	11
Other expense (income), net										1
Total other expense (income)										1
Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests		5	(4)	2	(3)	(3)	(3)	1		(8)	(13)
Earnings before income taxes and noncontrolling interests										(8)	(13)
Income tax expense (benefit)										1	(4)
Net income										(9)	(9)
Net income attributable to Tenneco Inc.		$ 3	$ (3)	$ 2	$ (6)	$ (3)	$ (2)	$ 2		$ (9)	$ (9)
Basic earnings per share of common stock (in dollars per share)		$ 0.06	$ (0.06)	$ 0.04	$ (0.14)	$ (0.04)	$ (0.04)	$ 0.03		$ (0.18)	$ (0.16)
Diluted earnings per share of common stock (in dollars per share)		$ 0.06	$ (0.06)	$ 0.04	$ (0.14)	$ (0.04)	$ (0.04)	$ 0.03		$ (0.18)	$ (0.16)
Reclasses
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Non-service pension and postretirement benefit costs										$ 16	$ 84
Loss on extinguishment of debt										1	(24)
Equity in (earnings) losses of nonconsolidated affiliates, net of tax										1
Other expense (income), net										(17)	(84)
Total other expense (income)										1	24
Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests										(1)	(24)
Interest expense										(1)	(24)
Reclasses | As Reported
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests		$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ (1)	$ 0		(1)
As Reclassified
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Net sales and operating revenues										9,274	8,599
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)										7,809	7,116
Selling, general, and administrative										636	513
Depreciation and amortization										224	212
Engineering, research, and development										158	154
Goodwill impairment charge										11
Costs and expenses										8,838	7,995
Loss on sale of receivables										5	5
Non-service pension and postretirement benefit costs										16	84
Loss on extinguishment of debt										1	24
Equity in (earnings) losses of nonconsolidated affiliates, net of tax										1
Other expense (income), net										(3)	(1)
Total other expense (income)										20	112
Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests										416	492
Interest expense										72	68
Earnings before income taxes and noncontrolling interests										344	424
Income tax expense (benefit)										70	0
Net income										274	424
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests										67	68
Net income attributable to Tenneco Inc.										$ 207	$ 356
Basic earnings per share of common stock (in dollars per share)										$ 3.93	$ 6.36
Diluted earnings per share of common stock (in dollars per share)										$ 3.91	$ 6.31
As Reclassified | As Reported
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests		$ 104	$ 113	$ 117	$ 135	$ 134	$ 26	$ 121		$ 416