SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                          -----------------------------
                                   SCHEDULE TO
                  TENDER OFFER STATEMENT UNDER SECTION 13(e)(1)
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
                                (Amendment No. 3)

                             TOWER AUTOMOTIVE, INC.
                   (Name of Subject Company and Person Filing)

                        OPTIONS TO PURCHASE COMMON STOCK,
      PAR VALUE $.01 PER SHARE, HAVING AN EXERCISE PRICE OF $17.125 OR MORE
                         (Title of Class of Securities)

                                    891707101
                      (CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)

                                Anthony A. Barone
                             Chief Financial Officer
                              5211 Cascade Road, SE
                          Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
                                 (616) 802-1600
            (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized
               to Receive Notices and communications on Behalf of
                         the Person(s) Filing Statement)

                                 With a copy to:
                              Michael G. Wooldridge
                     Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & HowlettLLP
                              333 Bridge Street, NW
                          Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504
                                 (616) 336-6000

                            CALCULATION OF FILING FEE
               -------------------------------------------------
     Transaction Valuation*                            Amount of Filing Fee
          $6,001,956.7                                       $1,200.39

*Calculated  solely for  purposes of  determining  the filing  fee.  This amount
assumes that options to purchase 1,688,000 shares of common stock of the company
having an aggregate value of $6,001,956.7, will be exchanged in response to this
offer.  The  aggregate  value  of  the  options  was  calculated  based  on  the
Black-Scholes  Option Pricing Model. The amount of the filing fee, calculated in
accordance with Rule 0-11(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
equals 1/50 of 1 percent of the value of the transaction.

[ ] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as  provided  by Rule  0-11(a)(2)
and  identify  the filing with which the  offsetting  fee was  previously  paid.
Identify the previous filing by registration  statement  number,  or the Form or
Schedule and the date of its filing.

Amount previously paid:    Not applicable.     Filing party:     Not applicable.
Form of registration No.:  Not applicable.     Date filed:       Not applicable.

[ ]Check the box if the filing relates solely to preliminary communications made
before the commencement of a tender offer.

Check the  appropriate  boxes below to designate any  transactions  to which the
statement relates:

[   ] third party tender offer subject to Rule 14d-1.
[   ] going-private transaction subject to Rule 13e-3.
[ X ] issuer tender offer subject to Rule 13e-4.
[   ] amendment to Schedule 13D under Rule 13d-2.

Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the results
of the tender offer. [ ]



                             INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

This  Amendment  No. 3 amends and  supplements  the Tender  Offer  Statement  on
Schedule TO, filed with the Securities  Exchange Commission on July 25, 2001, as
amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto  filed on July 26, 2001,  and Amendment No. 2
filed on August 27,  2001 (the  "Schedule  TO"),  relating to the offer by Tower
Automotive,  Inc., a Delaware  corporation  (the  "Company"),  to certain of its
active employees to exchange all options to purchase shares of common stock, par
value $.01 per share,  of the Company  (the "Common  Stock")  having an exercise
price equal to or greater than $17.125 per share,  which are  outstanding  under
the Tower  Automotive,  Inc. 1994 Key Colleague  Stock Option Plan and the Tower
Automotive,  Inc.  Long Term  Incentive  Plan  (collectively,  the  "Plans") for
restricted  shares of Common  Stock that will be issued under one or more of the
Plans,  upon the terms and subject to the  conditions  described in the Offer to
Exchange dated July 25, 2001, and the related Letter of Transmittal.

ITEM 2.  SUBJECT COMPANY INFORMATION

     The safe harbor for  forward-looking  statements  contained  in the Private
Securities  Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects  companies from liability for
their  forward-looking  statements if they comply with the  requirements  of the
Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934,  as  amended  (the  "Act").  The Act does not
provide this protection for tender offers.  Therefore,  to the extent this offer
to purchase includes forward-looking statements, the safe harbor provided by the
Act is not available to the Company for any such forward-looking statements.

                                    SIGNATURE

     After due inquiry  and to the best of my  knowledge  and belief,  I certify
that the  information  set forth in this Amendment No. 3 to Schedule TO is true,
complete, and correct.

                                       TOWER AUTOMOTIVE, INC.



                                       By: /s/
                                           Anthony A. Barone
                                           Chief Financial Officer

Dated:  September 5, 2001