Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	$ 78	$ 92	$ 78	$ 61
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	3	3	5	6
Proceeds from sale of equity interest	0	9	0	9
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(80)	(90)	(164)	(193)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(5)	(6)	(10)	(12)
Proceeds from deferred purchase price of factored receivables	32	27	66	49
Other	2	(4)	2	(4)
Net cash used by investing activities	(48)	(61)	(101)	(145)
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares			(1)	(3)
Issuance of common shares	1
Cash dividends	(12)	(13)	(25)	(26)
Retirement of long-term debt	(6)	(2)	(12)	(8)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	0	(44)	0	(60)
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	(3)	(12)	(7)	(9)
Net (decrease) increase in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	(29)	(57)	48	60
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	10	0	(20)	20
Intercompany dividend payments and net (decrease) increase in intercompany obligations	0	0	0	0
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	(69)	(33)	(47)	69
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(14)	(7)	(11)	1
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(53)	(9)	(81)	(14)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	290	344	318	349
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note)	237	335	237	335
Issuance of long-term debt - net	0	136	0	136
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs	(2)	(8)	(2)	(8)
Payments of Ordinary Dividends, Noncontrolling Interest	(28)	(33)	(28)	(33)
Reclass and Elims
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(9)	(7)	(9)	(7)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0	0	0
Proceeds from sale of equity interest		0		0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	0	0	0	0
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	0	0	0	0
Proceeds from deferred purchase price of factored receivables	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0
Net cash used by investing activities	0	0	0	0
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares			0	0
Issuance of common shares	0
Cash dividends	0	0	0	0
Retirement of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		0		0
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	0	0	0	0
Net (decrease) increase in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	0	0	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0		0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net (decrease) increase in intercompany obligations	9	7	9	7
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	9	7	9	7
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	0	0	0	0
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	0	0	0	0
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note)	0	0	0	0
Issuance of long-term debt - net		0		0
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs	0	0	0	0
Payments of Ordinary Dividends, Noncontrolling Interest	0	0	0	0
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	106	104	79	63
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	1	1	1	3
Proceeds from sale of equity interest		0		0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(33)	(39)	(71)	(81)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(4)	(4)	(6)	(6)
Proceeds from deferred purchase price of factored receivables	0	0	0	0
Other	2	(4)	2	(4)
Net cash used by investing activities	(34)	(46)	(74)	(88)
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares			0	0
Issuance of common shares	0
Cash dividends	0	0	0	0
Retirement of long-term debt	(4)	0	(9)	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		0		0
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	0	0	0	0
Net (decrease) increase in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	(43)	369	54	369
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	10		(20)	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net (decrease) increase in intercompany obligations	(35)	(821)	(32)	(741)
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	(74)	(60)	(9)	20
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(2)	(2)	(4)	(5)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	5	6	7	9
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note)	3	4	3	4
Issuance of long-term debt - net		400		400
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs	(2)	(8)	(2)	(8)
Payments of Ordinary Dividends, Noncontrolling Interest	0	0	0	0
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(19)	2	13	26
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	2	2	4	3
Proceeds from sale of equity interest		9		9
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(47)	(51)	(93)	(112)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(1)	(2)	(4)	(6)
Proceeds from deferred purchase price of factored receivables	32	27	66	49
Other	0	0	0	0
Net cash used by investing activities	(14)	(15)	(27)	(57)
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares			0	0
Issuance of common shares	0
Cash dividends	0	0	0	0
Retirement of long-term debt	(2)	(2)	(3)	(2)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		0		0
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	(3)	(12)	(7)	(9)
Net (decrease) increase in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	15	(6)	(20)	14
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0		0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net (decrease) increase in intercompany obligations	13	66	6	51
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	(5)	13	(52)	21
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(14)	(7)	(11)	1
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(52)	(7)	(77)	(9)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	286	338	311	340
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note)	234	331	234	331
Issuance of long-term debt - net		0		0
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs	0	0	0	0
Payments of Ordinary Dividends, Noncontrolling Interest	(28)	(33)	(28)	(33)
Tenneco Inc
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	0	(7)	(5)	(21)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0	0	0
Proceeds from sale of equity interest		0		0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	0	0	0	0
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	0	0	0	0
Proceeds from deferred purchase price of factored receivables	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0
Net cash used by investing activities	0	0	0	0
Financing Activities
Repurchase of common shares			(1)	(3)
Issuance of common shares	1
Cash dividends	(12)	(13)	(25)	(26)
Retirement of long-term debt	0	0	0	(6)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		(44)		(60)
Net decrease in bank overdrafts	0	0	0	0
Net (decrease) increase in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivables	(1)	(420)	14	(323)
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0		0	20
Intercompany dividend payments and net (decrease) increase in intercompany obligations	13	748	17	683
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	1	7	5	21
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	1	0	0	0
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	(1)	0	0	0
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note)	0	0	0	0
Issuance of long-term debt - net		(264)		(264)
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs	0	0	0	0
Payments of Ordinary Dividends, Noncontrolling Interest	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0