Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities				$ 53	$ 130	$ 163	$ 233
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of equity interest				0	0	9	0
Proceeds from sale of assets				0	1	6	4
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment				(90)	(74)	(283)	(213)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets				(5)	(6)	(17)	(15)
Changes in restricted cash				0	1	0	(1)
Other				(1)	0	(5)	0
Net cash used by investing activities				(96)	(78)	(290)	(225)
Financing Activities
Issuance (repurchase) of common shares				1	5	(2)	7
Cash dividends	$ (14)	$ (13)	$ (13)	(14)	0	(40)	0
Issuance of common shares				1	5		7
Retirement of long-term debt - net				(1)	(179)	(9)	(527)
Issuance of long-term debt - net				0	2	136	508
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt				0	0	(8)	(8)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program				(71)	(89)	(131)	(146)
Net increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts				(3)	(1)	(12)	4
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt				84	198	144	223
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable					50	20	20
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations				0	0	0	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners				(12)	(28)	(45)	(55)
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities				(16)	(42)	53	26
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents				3	3	4	3
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents				(56)	13	(70)	37
Cash and cash equivalents, July 1 and January 1, respectively				333	311	347	287
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	277	333		277	324	277	324
Reclass and Elims
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities				(4)	(4)	(11)	(15)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of equity interest						0
Proceeds from sale of assets					0	0	0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment				0	0	0	0
Cash payments for software related intangible assets				0	0	0	0
Changes in restricted cash					0		0
Other				0		0
Net cash used by investing activities				0	0	0	0
Financing Activities
Issuance (repurchase) of common shares						0
Cash dividends				0		0
Issuance of common shares				0	0		0
Retirement of long-term debt - net				0	0	0	0
Issuance of long-term debt - net					0	0	0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt						0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program				0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts				0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt				0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable					0	0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations				4	4	11	15
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners				0	0	0	0
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities				4	4	11	15
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents				0	0	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents				0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, July 1 and January 1, respectively				0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	0	0		0	0	0	0
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities				39	170	102	113
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of equity interest						0
Proceeds from sale of assets					1	3	1
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment				(29)	(29)	(110)	(72)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets				(4)	(6)	(10)	(10)
Changes in restricted cash					0		0
Other				(1)		(5)
Net cash used by investing activities				(34)	(34)	(122)	(81)
Financing Activities
Issuance (repurchase) of common shares						0
Cash dividends				0		0
Issuance of common shares				0	0		0
Retirement of long-term debt - net				0	0	0	0
Issuance of long-term debt - net					0	400	0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt						(8)	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program				0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts				0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt				82	0	451	0
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable					0	0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations				(87)	(137)	(828)	(34)
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners				0	0	0	0
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities				(5)	(137)	15	(34)
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents				0	(1)	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents				0	(2)	(5)	(2)
Cash and cash equivalents, July 1 and January 1, respectively				4	2	9	2
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	4	4		4	0	4	0
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities				26	(17)	101	187
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of equity interest						9
Proceeds from sale of assets					0	3	3
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment				(61)	(45)	(173)	(141)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets				(1)	0	(7)	(5)
Changes in restricted cash					1		(1)
Other				0		0
Net cash used by investing activities				(62)	(44)	(168)	(144)
Financing Activities
Issuance (repurchase) of common shares						0
Cash dividends				0		0
Issuance of common shares				0	0		0
Retirement of long-term debt - net				(1)	0	(3)	(16)
Issuance of long-term debt - net					2	0	8
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt						0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program				0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts				(3)	(1)	(12)	4
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt				2	46	16	36
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable					0	0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations				(9)	54	42	16
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners				(12)	(28)	(45)	(55)
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities				(23)	73	(2)	(7)
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents				3	3	4	3
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents				(56)	15	(65)	39
Cash and cash equivalents, July 1 and January 1, respectively				329	309	338	285
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	273	329		273	324	273	324
Tenneco Inc
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities				(8)	(19)	(29)	(52)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of equity interest						0
Proceeds from sale of assets					0	0	0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment				0	0	0	0
Cash payments for software related intangible assets				0	0	0	0
Changes in restricted cash					0		0
Other				0		0
Net cash used by investing activities				0	0	0	0
Financing Activities
Issuance (repurchase) of common shares						(2)
Cash dividends				(14)		(40)
Issuance of common shares				1	5		7
Retirement of long-term debt - net				0	(179)	(6)	(511)
Issuance of long-term debt - net					0	(264)	500
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt						0	(8)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program				(71)	(89)	(131)	(146)
Net increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts				0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt				0	152	(323)	187
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable					50	20	20
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations				92	79	775	3
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners				0	0	0	0
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities				8	18	29	52
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents				0	1	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents				0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, July 1 and January 1, respectively				0	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, September 30 (Note)	$ 0	$ 0		$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0