I ran over a bump and suddenly there was a loud banging coming from the back right side of the vehicle. The sound was coming from inside the wall of the vehicle and was near the window. Any new bump encountered would trigger the banging. The explanation from the service station which fixed the problem was that...

- There was no protection to keep water from splashing up under the vehicle and onto this beam which connects to the shock and to the vehicle frame. - The connector/both had corroded and broke off

I had them replace both sides. The bolt on the other side also showed signs of corrosion.

I live in Maryland. This is a state where salt is used on the roads in icy weather.

Does this car not have some components to shield these areas due to attempting to keep the vehicle's weight down? Is it simply a design flaw?

Either way, believe it or not, I am going to use a different vehicle when it is raining or the winter roads have been salted. Do I also need to avoid "under carriage" car washes?

I assume this problem would repeat itself in the next 125,000 miles (assuming similar weather conditions)

Update from Apr 26, 2019: The "beam" was the mount for the shock.