98 toyota corolla is making bizzarre noises when i go over a bump or small defect in the road. afraid i am going to lose the wheel or something

SOURCE: rattle noise in rear end both side...

shocks

SOURCE: Loud front end noise over low-speed city street bumps.

I have the same problem but others said that replacing the $25 sway bar bushings fixed the problem. This solution helped several owners so it's worth changing.

SOURCE: thumping noise in front drivers side wheel and

Check your suspension bar and check your front strut assembly, jack up the side you here the noise on and pry against the tire to see if you have any movement between the strut housing and the frame, make sure the top strut nuts are tight, if they are next check tie rod ends to see if you have any play, next pull the wheel from the top and bottom to see if it's loose if it is watch while someone else wiggles the tire, you could have a tie rod loose or a king pin loose. Also it could be a wheel-bearing nut. Let me know what you find so I can tell you how to replace it.

SOURCE: front left wheel area makes weird sound over bumps

Have the bottom ball joint checked

SOURCE: Front end clunking noise going over small bumps

It could be a couple of things.
Loose or worn out strut - (jack up car, remove tire and shake the strut really hard to see if it's loose. Check for signs of leaking or damage to strut)
Missing rubber isolator under front spring (visually inspect the suspension while tire is off).
Broken sway bar mount or missing rubber in the mount on the frame. (Lay under the front and look for where the sway bar mounts to the frame. Make sure everything is tight and the rubber is still in it.