Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2018
Revenues
External	$ 4,504		$ 2,533	$ 8,988	$ 5,114
Affiliated companies	0		0	0	0
Net sales and operating revenues	4,504		2,533	8,988	5,114
Costs and expenses
Cost of sales	3,793		2,134	7,657	4,327
Restructuring charges and asset impairments	61		29	85	41
Goodwill impairment charge	0	$ 60	0	60	0
Engineering, research, and development	78		39	170	79
Selling, general, and administrative	288		154	604	305
Depreciation and amortization	169		60	338	120
Costs and expenses	4,389		2,416	8,914	4,872
Other expense (income)
Non-service pension and other postretirement benefit costs (credits)	4		3	6	6
Equity in (earnings) losses of nonconsolidated affiliates, net of tax	(17)		0	(33)	0
Other expense (income), net	(13)		3	(16)	3
Total other expense (income)	(26)		6	(43)	9
Earnings (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests	141		111	117	233
Interest expense —
External (net of interest capitalized)	82		22	163	45
Affiliated companies (net of interest income)	0		0	0	0
Earnings (loss) before income taxes and noncontrolling interests	59		89	(46)	188
Income tax (benefit) expense	14		26	14	51
Equity in net income (loss) from affiliated companies	0		0	0	0
Net income (loss)	45		63	(60)	137
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	19		16	31	30
Net income attributable to Tenneco Inc.	26		47	(91)	107
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Tenneco Inc.	4		(41)	(79)	41
Reclass and Elims
Revenues
External	0		0	0	0
Affiliated companies	(518)		(290)	(1,017)	(569)
Net sales and operating revenues	(518)		(290)	(1,017)	(569)
Costs and expenses
Cost of sales	(518)		(290)	(1,017)	(569)
Restructuring charges and asset impairments	0		0	0	0
Goodwill impairment charge				0
Engineering, research, and development	0		0	0	0
Selling, general, and administrative	0		0	0	0
Depreciation and amortization	0		0	0	0
Costs and expenses	(518)		(290)	(1,017)	(569)
Other expense (income)
Non-service pension and other postretirement benefit costs (credits)	0		0	0	0
Equity in (earnings) losses of nonconsolidated affiliates, net of tax	0			0
Other expense (income), net	0		10	0	10
Total other expense (income)	0		10	0	10
Earnings (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests	0		(10)	0	(10)
Interest expense —
External (net of interest capitalized)	0		0	0	0
Affiliated companies (net of interest income)	0		0	0	0
Earnings (loss) before income taxes and noncontrolling interests	0		(10)	0	(10)
Income tax (benefit) expense	0		0	0	0
Equity in net income (loss) from affiliated companies	(175)		(97)	(92)	(218)
Net income (loss)	(175)		(107)	(92)	(228)
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	0		0	0	0
Net income attributable to Tenneco Inc.	(175)		(107)	(92)	(228)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Tenneco Inc.	(28)		(107)	(111)	(228)
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Revenues
External	1,690		1,028	3,381	2,060
Affiliated companies	235		134	453	257
Net sales and operating revenues	1,925		1,162	3,834	2,317
Costs and expenses
Cost of sales	1,618		984	3,294	1,991
Restructuring charges and asset impairments	43		2	51	3
Goodwill impairment charge				33
Engineering, research, and development	30		19	69	37
Selling, general, and administrative	148		82	326	155
Depreciation and amortization	81		24	164	47
Costs and expenses	1,920		1,111	3,937	2,233
Other expense (income)
Non-service pension and other postretirement benefit costs (credits)	(1)		3	(1)	6
Equity in (earnings) losses of nonconsolidated affiliates, net of tax	(1)			(2)
Other expense (income), net	30		15	23	24
Total other expense (income)	28		18	20	30
Earnings (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests	(23)		33	(123)	54
Interest expense —
External (net of interest capitalized)	(6)		10	5	20
Affiliated companies (net of interest income)	(6)		(4)	(14)	(7)
Earnings (loss) before income taxes and noncontrolling interests	(11)		27	(114)	41
Income tax (benefit) expense	0		(2)	(18)	(1)
Equity in net income (loss) from affiliated companies	93		37	72	85
Net income (loss)	82		66	(24)	127
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	0		0	0	0
Net income attributable to Tenneco Inc.	82		66	(24)	127
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Tenneco Inc.	51		66	(17)	127
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Revenues
External	2,814		1,505	5,607	3,054
Affiliated companies	283		156	564	312
Net sales and operating revenues	3,097		1,661	6,171	3,366
Costs and expenses
Cost of sales	2,692		1,440	5,380	2,905
Restructuring charges and asset impairments	18		27	34	38
Goodwill impairment charge				27
Engineering, research, and development	48		20	101	42
Selling, general, and administrative	143		72	278	150
Depreciation and amortization	88		36	174	73
Costs and expenses	2,989		1,595	5,994	3,208
Other expense (income)
Non-service pension and other postretirement benefit costs (credits)	5		0	7	0
Equity in (earnings) losses of nonconsolidated affiliates, net of tax	(16)			(31)
Other expense (income), net	(43)		(22)	(39)	(31)
Total other expense (income)	(54)		(22)	(63)	(31)
Earnings (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests	162		88	240	189
Interest expense —
External (net of interest capitalized)	12		3	17	6
Affiliated companies (net of interest income)	11		0	19	0
Earnings (loss) before income taxes and noncontrolling interests	139		85	204	183
Income tax (benefit) expense	27		28	57	52
Equity in net income (loss) from affiliated companies	0		0	0	0
Net income (loss)	112		57	147	131
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	19		16	31	30
Net income attributable to Tenneco Inc.	93		41	116	101
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Tenneco Inc.	67		41	128	101
Tenneco Inc
Revenues
External	0		0	0	0
Affiliated companies	0		0	0	0
Net sales and operating revenues	0		0	0	0
Costs and expenses
Cost of sales	1		0	0	0
Restructuring charges and asset impairments	0		0	0	0
Goodwill impairment charge				0
Engineering, research, and development	0		0	0	0
Selling, general, and administrative	(3)		0	0	0
Depreciation and amortization	0		0	0	0
Costs and expenses	(2)		0	0	0
Other expense (income)
Non-service pension and other postretirement benefit costs (credits)	0		0	0	0
Equity in (earnings) losses of nonconsolidated affiliates, net of tax	0			0
Other expense (income), net	0		0	0	0
Total other expense (income)	0		0	0	0
Earnings (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, and noncontrolling interests	2		0	0	0
Interest expense —
External (net of interest capitalized)	76		9	141	19
Affiliated companies (net of interest income)	(5)		4	(5)	7
Earnings (loss) before income taxes and noncontrolling interests	(69)		(13)	(136)	(26)
Income tax (benefit) expense	(13)		0	(25)	0
Equity in net income (loss) from affiliated companies	82		60	20	133
Net income (loss)	26		47	(91)	107
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	0		0	0	0
Net income attributable to Tenneco Inc.	26		47	(91)	107
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Tenneco Inc.	$ (86)		$ (41)	$ (79)	$ 41