This morning while my partner was driving home in our '07 XC90 they claim that after getting the car in the parking spot the wheel wouldn't straighten out anymore, nor would the car go into reverse or drive. It would shift into the gears but not move, the engine would just rev. She went out to look if the wheels were caught on anything, but nothing. After turning the car off and on again the problem had resolved itself. The brake pedal was stiff and couldn't move either. None of the lights were flickering and all the electronics were working fine, so I know the alternator was turning, so I doubt it could be a belt problem. The engine wasn't louder and there weren't any new weird noises. What could have caused this because I don't want this happening somewhere dangerous. It's worth noting that this morning is the first frost of the season, but the car was well warmed up.

UPDATE: my partner clarified that when pressing the gas the car wasn't even revving. I looked at the serpentine belt, and it had good tension and wasn't damaged anywhere. No problem codes in the system either. I'm stumped.

 

Almost sounds like the car's steering lock got stuck and that in turn kept the car from allowing it to go into gear or the engine wasn't running at all! The only thing that could possibly keep the engine from revving would be if it were in "limp mode" (I'd expect to see check engine warning lights etc flashing) or if the pedal position sensor totally failed (say due to a relay issue or some related power event). These are "drive by wire" cars - the pedal has a position sensor which signals the ETM (electronic throttle mechanism) to open or close. No signal - no revs. Sounds to me like you have an electrical issue and need a full diagnostic scan to check for any stored fault codes to see if they will ID any sensor/module communications errors