Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 374	$ 287	$ 288	$ 282
Restricted cash	2	1
Receivables, net	1,286	1,112
Inventories	746	682
Prepayments and other	254	229
Total current assets	2,662	2,311
Other assets:
Investment in affiliated companies	0	0
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	0	0
Long-term receivables, net	11	13
Goodwill	59	60
Intangibles, net	21	22
Deferred income taxes	214	218
Other	103	100
Total other assets	408	413
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	3,513	3,418
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(2,235)	(2,175)
Plant, property and equipment, net	1,278	1,243
Total Assets	4,348	3,967	4,151
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	97	86
Short-term debt — affiliated	0	0
Accounts payable	1,462	1,376
Accrued taxes	52	37
Other	310	295
Total current liabilities	1,921	1,794
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	1,311	1,124
Long-term debt — affiliated	0	0
Deferred income taxes	9	7
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	$ 502	$ 524
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	$ 3,743	$ 3,449
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	51	43
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	505	433
Noncontrolling interests	49	42
Total equity	554	475	522
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	4,348	3,967
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	4	2	0	10
Restricted cash	0	0
Receivables, net	503	299
Inventories	354	333
Prepayments and other	73	67
Total current assets	934	701
Other assets:
Investment in affiliated companies	1,136	1,146
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	952	938
Long-term receivables, net	10	11
Goodwill	22	22
Intangibles, net	9	9
Deferred income taxes	121	122
Other	42	42
Total other assets	2,292	2,290
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	1,281	1,281
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(856)	(851)
Plant, property and equipment, net	425	430
Total Assets	3,651	3,421
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	0	0
Short-term debt — affiliated	121	164
Accounts payable	540	484
Accrued taxes	14	6
Other	125	125
Total current liabilities	800	779
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	0	0
Long-term debt — affiliated	1,732	1,583
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	$ 419	$ 424
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	$ 2,951	$ 2,786
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	700	635
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	700	635
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	3,651	3,421
Nonguarantor Subsidiaries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	370	285	288	272
Restricted cash	2	1
Receivables, net	1,334	1,241
Inventories	392	349
Prepayments and other	181	162
Total current assets	2,279	2,038
Other assets:
Investment in affiliated companies	0	0
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	14,112	13,291
Long-term receivables, net	1	2
Goodwill	37	38
Intangibles, net	12	13
Deferred income taxes	27	28
Other	50	47
Total other assets	14,239	13,419
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	2,232	2,137
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(1,379)	(1,324)
Plant, property and equipment, net	853	813
Total Assets	17,371	16,270
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	82	73
Short-term debt — affiliated	233	147
Accounts payable	1,058	955
Accrued taxes	38	31
Other	231	221
Total current liabilities	1,642	1,427
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	28	21
Long-term debt — affiliated	14,068	13,226
Deferred income taxes	9	7
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	$ 83	$ 100
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	$ 15,830	$ 14,781
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	51	43
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	1,441	1,404
Noncontrolling interests	49	42
Total equity	1,490	1,446
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	17,371	16,270
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	1,005	891
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	4,954	4,788
Long-term receivables, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Intangibles, net	0	0
Deferred income taxes	66	68
Other	11	11
Total other assets	6,036	5,758
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	0	0
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	0	0
Plant, property and equipment, net	0	0
Total Assets	6,036	5,758
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	15	13
Short-term debt — affiliated	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued taxes	0	0
Other	15	3
Total current liabilities	30	16
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	1,283	1,103
Long-term debt — affiliated	4,218	4,208
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	$ 0	$ 0
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	$ 5,531	$ 5,327
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	505	433
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	505	433
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	6,036	5,760
Reclass and Elims
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	$ 0	$ 0
Restricted cash	0	0
Receivables, net	(551)	(428)
Inventories	0	0
Prepayments and other	0	0
Total current assets	(551)	(428)
Other assets:
Investment in affiliated companies	(2,141)	(2,037)
Notes and advances receivable from affiliates	(20,018)	(19,017)
Long-term receivables, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Intangibles, net	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other	0	0
Total other assets	(22,159)	(21,054)
Plant, property, and equipment, at cost	0	0
Less — Accumulated depreciation and amortization	0	0
Plant, property and equipment, net	0	0
Total Assets	(22,710)	(21,482)
Short-term debt (including current maturities of long-term debt)
Short-term debt — non-affiliated	0	0
Short-term debt — affiliated	(354)	(311)
Accounts payable	(136)	(63)
Accrued taxes	0	0
Other	(61)	(54)
Total current liabilities	(551)	(428)
Long-term debt — non-affiliated	0	0
Long-term debt — affiliated	(20,018)	(19,017)
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Postretirement benefits and other liabilities	$ 0	$ 0
Commitments and contingencies
Total liabilities	$ (20,569)	$ (19,445)
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Tenneco Inc. shareholders’ equity	(2,141)	(2,039)
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	(2,141)	(2,039)
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	$ (22,710)	$ (21,484)