Excuse my ignorance but what is this?

So i know this is going to show how much of a noobie i am but i was inspecting my front end and found a loose bolt on both sides behind the tire. Above the bolts there is a rod going from side to side with two holes in it for the bolts to go through. Is there any reason the previous owner may have undone these bolts?

 

Sway bar.

 

Sway bar endlink is broken

 

Sway bar.....just go ahead and remove it. It’s already half done

 

You can probably get some good flexing with it like that, but clearly, your endlink is broken. Easy $15 fix, it'll probably handle better on the road too once you replace it.

 

Surprised you didn't notice any noise from it being broken that long

 

But yes. Remove it. Dont need it (you do, but mehh)