Can a transmission go out without any warning?
This can and does happen. I speak with people all the time that drove right into a parking space or even their garage with no sign of trouble and when they went to use the vehicle again the transmission had problems. This can be because it is easier for a transmission to stay in gear once it is in gear than it is for it to go into gear initially. So while it is in gear it works fine, but once it is turned off it can’t get back in gear. Sometimes heat is also a factor in these sorts of failures. It may work when everything is warmed up, and not when cold, but since it won’t move you aren’t able to get the transmission warm enough to start working again. Also, if you have a bind condition in the transmission it can cause something to break while you are downshifting to come to a stop. If this stop happens to be someplace you are staying for a while, it makes it seem like your transmission failed while you were parked.
