Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	$ (41)	$ 25	$ 37	$ 86
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	1	0	6	6
Proceeds from sale of equity interest	0	0	0	9
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(78)	(90)	(242)	(283)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(3)	(5)	(13)	(17)
Proceeds from deferred purchase price of factored receivables	36	28	102	77
Other	(4)	(1)	(2)	(5)
Net cash used by investing activities	(48)	(68)	(149)	(213)
Financing Activities
(Repurchase) issuance of common shares	(1)	1	(2)	(2)
Cash dividends	(14)	(14)	(39)	(40)
Payments of long-term debt	(5)	(1)	(17)	(9)
Issuance of long-term debt	0	0	0	136
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt	0	0	(2)	(8)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program	0	(71)	0	(131)
Net increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts	2	(3)	(5)	(12)
Net (decrease) increase in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	(77)	84	(29)	144
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	170	0	150	20
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	0	0	0	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	(16)	(12)	(44)	(45)
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	59	(16)	12	53
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(4)	3	(15)	4
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(34)	(56)	(115)	(70)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	237	335	318	349
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note)	203	279	203	279
Reclass and Elims
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(3)	(4)	(12)	(11)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	0		0	0
Proceeds from sale of equity interest				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) issuance of common shares	0	0	0	0
Cash dividends	0	0	0	0
Payments of long-term debt	0	0	0	0
Issuance of long-term debt				0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt			0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		0		0
Net increase (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 receivable	0	0	0	0
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0		0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	3	4	12	11
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	0	0	0	0
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	3	4	12	11
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
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	111	39	190	102
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	0		1	3
Proceeds from sale of equity interest				0
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(29)	(29)	(100)	(110)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(1)	(4)	(7)	(10)
Proceeds from deferred purchase price of factored receivables	0	0	0	0
Other	(4)	(1)	(2)	(5)
Net cash used by investing activities	(34)	(34)	(108)	(122)
Financing Activities
(Repurchase) issuance of common shares	0	0	0	0
Cash dividends	0	0	0	0
Payments of long-term debt	(5)	0	(14)	0
Issuance of long-term debt				400
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt			(2)	(8)
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		0		0
Net increase (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 receivable	(243)	82	(189)	451
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	170		150	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	4	(87)	(28)	(828)
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	0	0	0	0
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	(74)	(5)	(83)	15
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	3	0	(1)	(5)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	3	4	7	9
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note)	6	4	6	4
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(145)	(2)	(132)	24
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	1		5	3
Proceeds from sale of equity interest				9
Cash payments for plant, property, and equipment	(49)	(61)	(142)	(173)
Cash payments for software related intangible assets	(2)	(1)	(6)	(7)
Proceeds from deferred purchase price of factored receivables	36	28	102	77
Other	0	0	0	0
Net cash used by investing activities	(14)	(34)	(41)	(91)
Financing Activities
(Repurchase) issuance of common shares	0	0	0	0
Cash dividends	0	0	0	0
Payments of long-term debt	0	(1)	(3)	(3)
Issuance of long-term debt				0
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt			0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		0		0
Net increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts	2	(3)	(5)	(12)
Net (decrease) increase in revolver borrowings and short-term debt excluding current maturities of long-term debt and short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	164	2	144	16
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0		0	0
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	(24)	(9)	(18)	42
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	(16)	(12)	(44)	(45)
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	126	(23)	74	(2)
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(4)	3	(15)	4
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(37)	(56)	(114)	(65)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	234	331	311	340
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note)	197	275	197	275
Tenneco Inc
Operating Activities
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	(4)	(8)	(9)	(29)
Investing Activities
Proceeds from sale of assets	0		0	0
Proceeds from sale of equity interest				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) issuance of common shares	(1)	1	(2)	(2)
Cash dividends	(14)	(14)	(39)	(40)
Payments of long-term debt	0	0	0	(6)
Issuance of long-term debt				(264)
Debt issuance cost of long-term debt			0	0
Purchase of common stock under the share repurchase program		(71)		(131)
Net increase (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 receivable	2	0	16	(323)
Net increase in short-term borrowings secured by accounts receivable	0		0	20
Intercompany dividend payments and net increase (decrease) in intercompany obligations	17	92	34	775
Distributions to noncontrolling interest partners	0	0	0	0
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities	4	8	9	29
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